Until Ghanshyam Kewat alias Naam managed to outfox up to 400 police personnel in a village in UP’s Chitrakoot district, the authorities appeared convinced that they had wiped the harsh ravines and dense forests of Chambal and Bundelkhand clear of the bandits that terrorised the region for decades. Kewat was finally shot dead on Thursday after an encounter that lasted over 50 hours, making him one of over 100 dacoits killed by the police between 2004 and 2009. Some most-wanted dacoits recently eliminated in encounters:

Nirbhay Singh Gujjar (November 8, 2005): Known as the ‘Last Lion of the Chambal’, this bewhiskered dacoit managed to hobnob with journalists even as he evaded the police. With a reward of over Rs 2.5 lakh on his head, Nirbhay Singh lorded over the Chambal region for around three decades and had as many as 175 criminal cases against him, including murder and kidnapping. He was killed in a gunbattle with the Special Task Force of the Uttar Pradesh Police in a remote village in Etawah district. Unlike his more shadowy counterparts, his love of wine and women was legendary. He was also fond of modern gadgetry and it was his use of cellphones that aided the police in tracking him down to his jungle hideout. Nirbhay Singh allegedly ‘played dead’ before opening fire on the police but his luck ran out.

Jagjivan Parihar (March 15, 2007): A former cowherd and police informer, Parihar went on to become one of the most feared dacoits of the Chambal ravines, mainly targeting Gujjars and styling himself as a champion of the Thakurs, until he was shot dead by the police at a village near Morena. About five other members of his gang were also killed after an 18-hour encounter, in which one policeman was killed.

... contd.