Madhya Pradesh: In a shocking report, three remote villages in Madhya Pradesh, located 117 kilometres from the capital Bhopal, have been brought into spotlight due to their unusual curriculum to train children in the arts of "theft, robbery, and dacoity". Who would have thought that crime could be taught like a subject in school? Yet, in Gulkhedi, Kadiya, and Hulkhedi, children are allegedly trained to become criminals, which has earned these remote villages a notorious reputation as "nurseries" of crime.
Even the police here are said to tread carefully despite the authority they possess, as reported by NDTV.
The Training Process
Parents send their children as young as 12 or 13 to these villages to receive training in criminal activities. It is the parents who decide who will train their children and provide them the best "education" after meeting various gang leaders. They pay a fee ranging from ₹ 2 lakh - ₹ 3 lakh to get their children enrolled in the training, the report said.
Upon enrollment, the children are then trained in various criminal skills such as snatching bags in crowded places, running fast, pickpocketing, evading the police, and also how to endure beatings if caught.
After the child completes a year, the gang leader give an annual payment of ₹ 3 to lakh ₹ 5 lakh to its parents.
According to the NDTV report, these three villages have produced thieves whose criminal activities became famous across India.
On August 8, a minor thief ended up stealing a bag containing jewellery worth ₹ 1.5 crore and ₹ 1 lakh in cash at a grand wedding in Jaipur's Hyatt Hotel. It was the wedding of a Hyderabad-based businessman's son.
The groom's mother had placed the bag nearby as the bride and groom were being blessed during the ceremony. The minor thief siezed this opportunity and fled after stealing the bag.
After committing the theft, his gang fled to Kadiya village in the Rajgarh district. In order to avoid suspicion, they dumped the stolen jewellery and then tried to blend in by participating in a Kanwar Yatra.
However, their plan failed due to the swift investigation that followed. The minor was ultimately arrested and the entire gang was exposed.
The 'Nurseries' Of Crime
Additional Director General of Police of Law and Order, Jaideep Prasad, stated that the Rajgarh district is known for villages where such criminals operate with impunity.
"Recently, the Jaipur Police Commissioner contacted me regarding this major theft. Jewelry worth around ₹ 1.5 crore was stolen at a wedding, and we had reasons to believe the culprits were from Rajgarh. We immediately developed information and began coordinating with other states," NDTV quoted him as saying.
He stated that these criminals are trained in such a way that they even possess the skills to assess the value of jewellery without even visiting a jeweller.
The primary activities of gang leaders include training children to steal, gamble, and sell liquor.
Prasad emphasised that cooperation between state police forces and quick action have helped police achieve significant breakthroughs in such cases.
Describing the challenges faced by law enforcement in these areas, Ramkumar Bhagat, the Inspector of the Boda police station said: "When we have to go to these villages, we take the force of several police stations with us to apprehend the accused."
"These criminals are highly trained in bag lifting, bank thefts, and other crimes, often using minors under the age of 17 to carry out their activities," he added.
He further said that these villages, particularly Hulkhedi, Kadiya, and Gulkhedi are often referred to as "nurseries" or "schools" of crime. Here, the children are trained from a very young age to become professional thieves.
"Most of the thefts are carried out by minors, making it even more challenging to combat this deeply ingrained criminal culture," Bhagat said.
Bidding Process To Hire Minors Of Poor Families
These villages operate in extreme secrecy, so much so that the women here, upon seeing any outsider, start pretending to be hard of hearing, the report said.
Incase an unknown person visits the village, the residents become alert, especially when they notice a mobile phone or camera.
The environment of these villages in Rajgarh district is hostile to any sort of scrutiny, which shows the deep-rooted criminal culture. They have become a hotspot for police forces from all over India.
Bhagat stated that more than 300 children from these villages commit thefts at wedding ceremonies across several states in India. The gangs operate in a highly organised manner and conduct thorough recces before implementing innovative tactics in the crimes they commit.
Shockingly, a bidding process also exists through which the wealthy people within the village hire poor children for a year or two for up to ₹ 20 lakh. After being trained, the minors often earn five to six times the investment, following which they are released from their respective gangs.
The report stated that the magnitude of this criminal operation is huge, with over 2,000 individuals having over 8,000 cases registered against them at various police stations across India.