The Uttar Pradesh police has finally admitted that the slain dacoit Dadua had far better media and information management skills than itself.
The admission came during a PowerPoint presentation titled Anti-dacoity Operations and Mindgames, made during the recently held Annual Police Week.
'Dadua was capable of influencing the media in many ways,' the presentation said, adding that the dacoit's media management was far better than that of the police or the Special Task Force.
Mentioning the psychological war, the presentation said the local populace believed that the administration was subservient to Dadua's interests. The gang was successful in eliminating all police informers 'brutally'.
The presentation claimed that Dadua managed cuts from developmental works and welfare measures of the government. The gang also received gratification from politicians.
The presentation lamented that politicians, the police, and other officers believed in the invincibility of the gang and the entire economy and polity of the region was controlled by Dadua.
Mentioning the gang's field-craft, the presentation said hardcore members and casual members of the gang never mixed. The casual members formed a ring around the leaders and they were the first to take on the police during encounters. This helped the senior members to escape.
Going into the details of the dacoit's elimination, it said Ravan vadh required a Vibhishan (insider). In this case Vibhishan was very intelligent and had no criminal record. While he was very close to the gang, he nursed a deep grudge against it.
The STF used Global Positioning System trackers to pinpoint the exact location of the gang. Innovative weaponry was used to hit the core of the gang.
Dadua had unleashed a reign of terror in various areas of UP as well as in adjacent areas of Madhya Preadesh by looting, kidnapping, extortion and murder.
Dadua, also known as Doctor or Shiv Kumar Patel, faced over 200 criminal charges against him. He also carried a reward of Rs 5 lakhs on his head by the UP police.
UP and MP police started v arious joint operations to trap him, but efforts of the state police forces were often frustrated by his reach in political galleries and a vast network of informers.
On July 23, the STF succeeded in ending Dadau's reign of terror. He was killed along with nine of his companions in the Chitrakoot district bordering UP.