What Ended Dacoity in the Indian Chambal?

• In Event: Law Enforcement Strategies and Challenges in International Contexts

Abstract

Dacoity in the ravines of Chambal- a crime that gripped the area, now exists in public memory, movies, books and conversations. Armed bandits who ravaged the villages in the ravines, kidnapped the vulnerable for ransom, created terror, extorted resulting in roadblocks to development of area are now a thing of the past. Dacoity has sharply declined in the badlands of Chambal in the past two decades. What factors have contributed to the disappearance of this crime? Is it a crime past its age? Did police action result in the blows to the crime? Did development of the area provide new opportunities and prosperity reducing disincentive for crime? This provides reason enough to enquire if a template for crime eradication can be discerned. Based on data of the area, interviews, analysis of records, the study attempts to map out the relative importance of various factors in crime decline with special focus on dacoity.

Authors

• Deepika Suri, Indian Police

• Arvind Verma, Indiana University Bloomington