A SADIST and a true warrior — that’s how the police described Salim Gujjar.
The men in khaki termed him a sadist for torturing victims was a pleasure act for him. And to describe one who never ran away from the battleground and engaged the police in many fierce battles, true warrior was an apt word, said a cop.
His warrior mettle was on display even in the forests of Ayana. In the last leg of the gunfight, the aides had deserted Salim. His paramour Geeta Jatav was so distressed that she was trying to pull him away. But Salim pushed her away to wage a lone battle. For 10 minutes, without looking for cover, he kept firing till a bullet from the other side ended his life.
“Indeed, he was a true fighter. The cops always admired his guts to take us head on,” DIG Daljit Chowdhary, who had been tracking the dacoit for over two years, said.
“Perhaps”, he adds, “he was the only Gujjar chieftain who never shied away in facing the police or the bullets. There are a number of examples when he literally surprised us with his attack. He was a wrestler and every the battlefield was his wrestling arena”.
On the other hand, just his name used to send shivers down the spine of many. Prakash Gupta, a trader from Aurraiya, who spent nearly a month as Salim’s captive, said that every evening the ganglord torture those he had abducted.
{{/usCountry}}On the other hand, just his name used to send shivers down the spine of many. Prakash Gupta, a trader from Aurraiya, who spent nearly a month as Salim’s captive, said that every evening the ganglord torture those he had abducted.
{{/usCountry}}“He used to come and sit in front of us at fixed distance. Then he used to signal his men to overpower all of us. His men would then insert a thread through the nostrils and pull it out of the mouth. It used to give a lot of pain but Salim enjoyed every moment and his loud laughs proved it,” Gupta recollects.
At another time he used to get his aides pull the earlobes of the detainees. As the victims screamed in pain, Salim smiled away. Salim also used to order his men to hit at the groins of his victims. “The expressions of pain on the face of his victims would give that came on the face of his victims would give him great pleasure,” Gupta said.
“He was a psychopath and the ravines are full of stories of his torture,” said SOG team member Santosh Singh, who got an out-of-turn promotion on Wednesday. Salim even used to torture his women at moments of intimacy. This habit of his had forced several girls to flee but not many were so lucky.