Pay 2 Lakh, "Graduated" In Raid: A "School" Of criminals in Madhya Pradesh

Three remote villages in Madhya Pradesh – Kadia, Gulkhedi and Hulkhedi – have become nationally notorious as ‘breeding grounds’ for criminals.

Located about 117 kilometres from the state capital, Bhopal, these villages in Rajgarh district are known for training children in the “arts of theft, robbery and mugging”.

It is known that the police, despite their authority, operate cautiously in this region.

The beginning of the crime

Children aged 12 or 13 are sent by their parents to these villages to be trained in criminal activities. The parents, after meeting with gang leaders, decide who can provide the best “education” for their child. To enroll in this grim curriculum, families pay a fee ranging from Rs 2 lakh to Rs 3 lakh.

The children learn various criminal skills, such as pickpocketing, stealing bags in crowded places, running fast, evading the police and how to be beaten if caught.

After serving in the gang for a year, the child’s parents receive an annual payment of 3 to 50,000 rupees from the gang leader.

The “Great Robbery”

These villages have produced some of the most cunning thieves, whose criminal activities have made headlines across India.

On August 8, a lavish wedding at the Hyatt Hotel in Jaipur took a dark turn when a petty thief made off with a bag containing jewellery worth Rs 1.5 crore and Rs 1 lakh in cash.

The big event was the wedding of the son of a Hyderabad businessman.

As the ceremony unfolded and the bride and groom were blessed, the groom’s mother placed her white bag nearby. The little thief seized his chance and discreetly stole the bag, making off with its valuable contents.

After committing the theft, his gang fled to Kadiya village in Rajgarh district. To avoid suspicion, they quickly disposed of the stolen jewellery and then tried to blend in with the crowd by taking part in a Kanwar Yatra, a religious pilgrimage.

Their plan could have succeeded if the investigation had not been so swift. Eventually, the minor involved in the theft was arrested, leading to the unmasking of the entire gang.

In another incident, 24-year-old Ravindra Sisodia stole a bag containing jewellery at a wedding in Gurgaon in March.

In December 2023, Yash Sisodia, 22, stole a bag full of jewellery during a wedding ceremony in Delhi and fled. As of now, 18 cases have been registered against him in different states.

Challenges for the police

Jaideep Prasad, Additional Director General of Police (DGP) for law and order, said Rajgarh district is known for villages where criminals operate with impunity.

“Recently, the Jaipur police chief contacted me about this major theft. Jewellery worth around Rs 1.5 crore was stolen at a wedding and we had reason to suspect that the culprits were from Rajgarh. We immediately gathered information and started coordinating with other states,” he said.

He said these criminals are so skilled that they can estimate the value of jewelry without even visiting a jeweler. Their main activities are training children to steal, gamble and sell liquor.

Mr. Prasad stressed that swift action and cooperation between state police forces in such cases have led to major breakthroughs.

Another senior police official described the challenges facing law enforcement in these areas.

“When we go to these villages, we take the force of several police stations with us to arrest the suspects,” said Ramkumar Bhagat, inspector of Boda police station. “These criminals are highly trained in bag snatching, bank thefts and other crimes, often using minors below 17 to carry out their activities.”

He said these villages, especially Kadiya, Gulkhedi and Hulkhedi, are often referred to as ‘daycare centres’ or ‘schools’ for crime, where children are groomed from an early age to become professional thieves.

“Most of the thefts are committed by minors, making it even more difficult to combat this deep-rooted criminal culture,” said Mr Bhagat.

These villages are shrouded in secrecy and distrust. Women, when they see an outsider, pretend to be hard of hearing.

When a stranger enters the village, the residents are immediately alert, especially if they see a camera or a mobile phone. The environment is hostile to any form of control, which reflects the deep-rooted criminal culture.

These villages, located in Pachor tehsil of Rajgarh district, have become a hotspot for police forces from across the country.

Mr. Bhagat reports that over 300 children from these villages are involved in thefts at marriage ceremonies in different states. These gangs are highly organized and conduct thorough reconnaissance before using innovative tactics to carry out their crimes.

Rich people in the village also hire poor children for 1-2 years through bidding processes which can cost up to 20 lakh rupees.

After being trained, these children often earn five to six times their investment before being released from the gangs.

The scale of this criminal operation is enormous: more than 2,000 people from these villages have been charged with over 8,000 crimes at police stations across the country.

These children usually come from poor and poorly educated families, but they are raised to blend into the wealthier community, allowing them to infiltrate important events.