Dacoit faked identity, lived in house constructed under PM Awas scheme
Police officials said they could identify him because of his amputated foot and subsequently arrested him
Madhya Pradesh police arrested a wanted dacoit, named Pintu Kol, from a village where he was living with a fake identity in a house constructed under PM Awas Scheme for the past few years, officials said. Kol was carrying a reward of ₹65,000 in two states
Kol, 29, was an active member of Sunder Patel and Balkhadia gang. Police officials said they could identify him because of his amputated foot and subsequently arrested him.
“To nab all the dacoits, MP and UP police were holding the special drive. Police received information that a man was living with an amputated foot in Bijhwar village. When the police nabbed him, it was hard to recognise him from his look but his identity was confirmed due to an amputated foot. During an encounter eight years ago, he was shot at in the foot which had to be amputated to save his life,” said Dharamveer Singh Yadav, superintendent of police, Satna.
“The dacoit was arrested on Thursday from Rewa where he was living with his changed identity for the past six years. Pintu married a local woman and got a fake Aadhaar Card. His father-in-law received money to construct a house under PM Awas Scheme. Kol was living in his house. He also registered himself under different schemes of the state government to get jobs and free ration,” said the SP.
A resident of Manikpur district, Pintu Kol was booked in nine cases in Manikpur, Karvi and Banda districts of Uttar Pradesh and Satna in Madhya Pradesh under charges of murder, kidnapping, extortion and Arms Act.
The MP police had declared a reward of ₹15,000 while UP police of ₹50,000 six years ago.
Pintu Kol joined the gang of dacoit at the age of 15. He came in contact with the notorious dacoit Dadua alias Shiv Kumar Kurmi, who was synonymous with terror for two decades in the Terai. Pintu Kol used to deliver food and other items for the Dadua gang. After some time, he resorted to criminal activities as part of the Dadua gang. He was a minor when he was apprehended the first time to help the Dadua gang. He was sent to a correction home and soon after his release, he joined the gang of Sunder Patel.