Fear of dacoits grips locals

Fatehpur, May 1 (UNI) Around 50,000 people of twelve villages are living under the threat of two dacoit gangs, carrying bounty on their heads, also campaigning for their family members in the ongoing Uttar Pradesh assembly election.

The notorious gangs are carrying a reward of Rs 5 lakh on their heads and have their terror in twelve assembly seats of nearby four districts.

A local resident told UNI that the two dacoits Dadua and Thokia are campaigning for cycle and handpump, respectively and have threatened to kill people, who would campaign against them in the area.

Both are eyeing Garhchappa, Sheetalpur, Kabra, Gauriya, Mahniha, Lakri, Hanumanganj, Khandeha, Mohranpur, Dabva, Chakva, Kataiya Dand and Nadin villages in this election.

The mother of Thokia Piyriya Devi is a Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) candidate from Naraini assembly seat. Thokia have threatened the residents of 65 villages under this area.

''We are in fear because once the polling gets over, the police force would be removed from the area,'' a resident said.

Dadua dacoit has also threatened to kill those who are campaigning against him, once the election results are out.

Blaming police for not taking any action against the dacoits, residents said, ''The police were dancing to the tunes of both the dacoits.'' Meanwhile, people close to Dadua and Thokia said the ongoing UP elections are important for the duo, since the two were being oppossed in the nearby villages also.

To take a haul of the situation, the Election Commission sent Police Superintendent Amitabh Yash, following which twelve protectors of the two gangs were arrested.

Meanwhile, Director General of Police (DGP) Amar Dutt Mishra has assured the residents that ''the special task force has been deployed in the area to end the terror of these dacoits. The residents would be lended all kind of help even after elections.'' UNI