Children as young as 12 or 13 are sent to these villages for training
Three remote villages in Madhya Pradesh - Kadia, Gulkhedi, and Hulkhedi - have gained nationwide infamy as "nurseries" of criminals.
Situated about 117 kilometers from the state capital, Bhopal, these villages in the Rajgarh district are known for training children in the "arts of theft, robbery, and dacoity".
The police, even with their authority, are known to tread carefully in this region.
The Beginning Of Crime
Children as young as 12 or 13 are sent to these villages by their parents 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 are taught various criminal skills such as pickpocketing, snatching bags in crowded places, running fast, evading the police, and also enduring beatings if caught.
After completing a year in the gang, the child's parents receive an annual payment of Rs 3 to lakh Rs 5 lakh from the gang leader.
The "Grand Theft"
These villages have produced some of the most cunning thieves, whose criminal activities have made headlines across India.
On August 8, a lavish destination wedding at the Hyatt Hotel in Jaipur took a dark turn when a minor thief made off with a bag containing jewelry worth Rs 1.5 crore and Rs 1 lakh in cash. The grand event was the wedding of the son of a Hyderabad-based businessman.
As the ceremony unfolded and the bride and groom were being blessed, the groom's mother placed her white bag nearby. Seizing the opportunity, the minor thief discreetly stole the bag, making off with the valuable contents.
After committing the theft, his gang fled to Kadiya village in the Rajgarh district. To avoid suspicion, they quickly disposed of the stolen jewelry and then attempted to blend in by participating in a Kanwar Yatra, a religious pilgrimage.
Their plan might have succeeded if not for the swift investigation that followed. Eventually, the minor involved in the theft was arrested, leading to the exposure of the entire gang.
In another incident,24-year-old Ravindra Sisodia stole a bag of jewelry at a wedding in Gurgaon in March.
In December 2023, Yash Sisodia, 22, stole a bag full of jewelry at a wedding ceremony in Delhi and fled, adding to his record of 18 cases registered against him in different states.
Challenges For Police
Jaideep Prasad, the Additional Director General of Police of Law and Order, said that the Rajgarh district is known for harboring villages where criminals operate with impunity.
"Recently, the Jaipur Police Commissioner contacted me regarding this major theft. Jewelry worth around Rs 1.5 crore was stolen at a wedding, and we had reasons to believe the culprits were from Rajgarh. We immediately developed information and began coordinating with other states," he said.
He said that these criminals are so skilled that they can assess the value of jewelry without even visiting a jeweler. Their primary activities include training children to steal, gamble, and sell liquor.
Mr Prasad emphasized that quick action and cooperation between state police forces have led to significant breakthroughs in such cases.
Another senior police officer described the challenges faced by law enforcement in these areas.
"When we have to go to these villages, we take the force of several police stations with us to apprehend the accused," Ramkumar Bhagat, the Inspector of the Boda police station, said. "These criminals are highly trained in bag lifting, bank thefts, and other crimes, often using minors under the age of 17 to carry out their activities."
He said that these villages, particularly Kadiya, Gulkhedi, and Hulkhedi, are often referred to as "nurseries" or "schools" of crime, where children are groomed from a young age to become professional thieves.
"Most of the thefts are carried out by minors, making it even more challenging to combat this deeply ingrained criminal culture," Mr Bhagat said.
These villages are shrouded in secrecy and suspicion. Women, upon seeing any outsider, pretend to be hard of hearing.
If an unfamiliar person enters the village, the residents immediately become alert, especially when they notice a camera or mobile phone. The environment is hostile to any form of scrutiny, reflecting the deep-rooted criminal culture.
These villages, located in the 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 wedding ceremonies across various states. These gangs are highly organized, conducting thorough recces before adopting innovative tactics to carry out their crimes.
Wealthy individuals within the village also hire poor children for 1-2 years through bidding processes that can reach up to Rs 20 lakh.
Once trained, these children often earn five to six times the investment, after which they are released from the gangs.
The scale of this criminal operation is massive, with more than 2,000 individuals from these villages having over 8,000 cases registered against them in police stations across the country.
These children typically come from less educated and impoverished families, but they are groomed to blend in with the affluent, enabling them to infiltrate high-profile events.