In the 1970s, the state of Uttar Pradesh was mainly dominated by bandits. The region around Agra, bordering Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan became a hideout for these criminals. Former IPS officer Ajai Raj Sharma mentioned this in his book Biting the Bullet. During his first posting as Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) in Agra, an incident took place. He mentioned it in his book. One day, while the IPS officer was at his office, news came up which stated that around 40 to 50 armed bandits attacked a school and reportedly kidnapped an entire class. This report left everyone shocked. The then Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), SK Shungul mentioned that he had never heard about any such event in his life. The reason for kidnapping the entire class left everyone surprised.
According to police reports, the Janga and Phoola gang of Chambal carried out the kidnapping. The Phoola gang mainly belonged from Rajasthan but was known for committing crimes in Uttar Pradesh. Ajai Raj Sharma mentioned in his book that the criminals were equipped with modern weapons. Upon receiving this information, Sharma and his team rushed to the site of the crime.
The locals of the area informed the police officials that the criminals first kidnapped the children and then stopped a Roadways bus to use it for transport. They reportedly threatened the passengers with guns to get off the bus. While some people started running out of fear one man mentioned that he won’t leave and also encouraged others not to leave. The name of the man was Mahabir Singh, a sub-inspector from the local police station. While he was trying to stop the kidnappers, one female member of the gang fired at him which led to major chaos. Everyone emptied the bus out of fear and the criminals reportedly fled with the children. The sub-inspector lost his life in the process.
Many people were curious to know why the criminals kidnapped the whole class. After investigation, the officials revealed that the criminals kidnapped the entire class as they failed to identify the correct child. They gradually released all the children, except the one they had wanted to kidnap for ransom. After getting the ransom amount, the gang released that child as well.
In his book, the former IPS officer wrote that he was deeply moved by Mahabir Singh’s bravery. He was struck by how the sub-inspector had courageously fought the criminals to save the children. When Mahabir confronted the dacoits, he even managed to grab one of their belts, which Ajai Raj Sharma later kept as a symbol of vengeance. This incident fueled Sharma’s determination to hunt down the criminals. Later in his career, when Sharma was assigned to the Chambal Valley operation, he led an operation that eventually wiped out the gang. For his bravery, he was made the head of the Special Task Force (STF).
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