Despite successes, Dadua eludes UP cops

Lucknow, Nov 30 (UNI) Despite recent successes by the Uttar Pradesh police in eliminating dacoits, their biggest catch Shiv Kumar Pateli alias Dadua eludes the force for the past 23 years.

Eight years ago Dadua hoodwinked police by draping himself in a sari and disappearing into a crowd of women. Ealier this year, he fooled them again, this time in sadhu's robes, and opened a Hanuman temple he had promised.

Then, the dreaded dacoit vanished as noiselessly as he came, leaving a Rs 12 lakh elephant from Assam tethered to a banyan ree at the temple gates.

The 55-year-old is wanted in connection with about 112 criminal cases. He operates in eight districts of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh and is believed to earn up to Rs 10 crore a year by providing 'protection' to tendu contractors and pulling off abductions.

The forests in banda district in UP are said to be his safe abode but due to the lack of proper intelligence inputs, the UP police is unable to track him .

Dadua still evades police while the end of Satyapal alias Sapola came early yesterday when he was pinned and finally gunned down in the ravines on the UP-Madhya Pradesh border in the Etawah district.

Wanted in more than 76 cases of murder, dacoity and abduction, he carried a reward of Rs 1.20 lakh on his head. Uttar Pradesh had announced a reward of Rs 1 lakh,while the MP government had announced Rs 20,000 on his head.

Sapola's elimination was the third major breakthrough for the UP police's much controversial anti-dacoit operations. In November last year, police shot dead elusive bandit Nirbhay Singh Gujjar in Cheetapur ravines of Etawah. With as many as 205 criminal cases registered against him, Gujjar carried a cash prize of Rs 2.5 lakh on his head announced by Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh police.

Close on the heals of Gujjar, police managed to eliminate another dacoit, Kalua in January this year in Bareilly district of the state.

Kalua was killed in a combined operation conducted by police teams from Bareilly, Badaun and other neighbouring districts near Kateri under Fatehganj (East) police station.

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