UP police salutes slain dacoit Dadua's media management skills

Lucknow, Dec 13 (UNI) The Uttar Pradesh police have finally admitted that the slain dacoit Dadua had far better media and information management skills than the former.

The admission came during a power point presentation -- Anti-dacoity Operations and Mindgames -- made during the recently held Annual Police Week. ''Dadua was capable of influencing media in many ways...'' the presentation said adding that the dacoit's media management was far better than police or the Special Task Force (STF), which finally had the last laugh eliminating the dreaded brigand.

The presentation added that media war had no favourable returns.

But it did not specify what these favourable returns were.

Mentioning about the psychological war, the presentation said the local populace believed that the administration was subservient to the interests of Dadua. The gang was successful in eliminating all police informers 'brutally.' How did the dreaded dacoit manage his finances? The presentation claimed that he managed cut from developmental works and welfare measures of the government. Maintaining that the financial network of the gang proved to be too strong for the STF, the gang also received gratifications from opportunist politicians.

The presentation lamented that politicians, police and other officers believed in the invincibility of the gang and the entire economy and polity of the region was controlled by the gang.

Mentioning about the field-craft of the gang, the presentation said hardcore members and casual members of gang never mixed. The casual members formed a ring around the hardcore members and they were first ones to take on police during encounters. This helped the hardcore members to escape.

Going into the details of the elimiation of the dacoit, it said ''Ravan vadh' required a 'Vibishan' or an insider. The 'Vibhishan' was very intelligent and had no criminal record. While he was very close to the gang, he nursed a deep grudge against it.

The STF used global positioning system (GPS) trackers to pin point the exact location of the gang. Innvovative weaponry was used to hit the core of the gang.

On July 23 this year, STF achieved success in ending the terror of Dadua, a dreaded dacoit from Uttar Pradesh. He was killed along with his nine companions in Chitrakoot district bordering UP.

He had created a reign of terror in various areas of UP as well as in adjacent areas of MP by looting, kidnapping, extortion and murder that was also without any fear for the alleged patronage by the political parties of the state.

Dadua alias Doctor alias Shiv Kumar Patel, faced over 200 criminal charges against him. He also carried a reward of Rs 5 lakhs on his head by UP police. UP and MP police started various joint operations to trap him but efforts of state police were often frustrated by his approach in political galleries and a vast network of his informers.

Finally he could be button-holed when tipped off by informers about his whereabouts and instantly carried operation to catch him.

He was killed in the hilly area of Jhalmal Aelaha hamlet in Chitrakoot district.

UNI