STF nabs notorious dacoit Juggi Patel from MP village

ALLAHABAD: Allahabad unit of the Special Task Force (STF) on Monday claimed to have arrested notorious dacoit Juggi Patel from a remote village of neighbouring Madhya Pradesh state. Juggi was arrested near Lakhan Crossing, Tikuriya Tola village in Satna district of MP on Sunday night when he was planning to shift base.
Juggi, carrying a cash reward of Rs 2.15 lakh on his head, was wanted by both UP and MP police in connection with 32 criminal cases including murder, kidnapping and ransom.
Deputy SP, STF, Pravin Singh, told TOI, “The dacoit along with his wife was hiding in a rented accommodation in Tikunria Tola village under Koalgawan police station of Satna district for the past two months. He was once known as virtual operator of notorious brigand Sudesh Patel alias Balkharia, but had parted ways after developing some differences.”
The DSP said, “”Juggi’s name came to limelight when he gunned down five members of a family in Dodamafi village under Markundi police station of Chitrakoot district on the night of August 6, 2012.” He also added that Juggi was the key shooter of the gang and he was currently involved in extorting money from contractors in UP and MP.
A native of Barampur village (Karvi) in Chitrakoot district, Juggi had joined slain Thokia’s gang as causal member about seven years back. After elimination of Thokia by police, he became the main member of Balkharia gang.
The UP police had announced a cash reward of Rs 2 lakh on his head after he intensified his activities while MP police had announced a cash reward of Rs 15,000 on his head.
Interestingly, the dacoit had hired a rented accommodation for Rs 1,200 in Tikuriatola village about two months back and landed in police net when he was planning to shift base.
Following the arrest of Juggi, police claimed that they have gained an upper hand in the battle against notorious gang of bandits led by Sudesh Patel alias Balkharia after forcing the gang to escape towards neighbouring Madhya Pradesh.
“Police teams are working on specific inputs to take on the bandit gang,” said a senior cop adding, “we are making efforts to choke their supply in dense forests and force the gang to come out in the open.”
As the topography of the area makes it difficult to navigate, cops are also taking help from local villagers to know more about the area. Police teams are also maintaining a strict watch on the sympathizers of the dacoits who were allegedly involved in supplying essential commodities to the gang.