Representative image of an ATM robbery.
Credit: iStock Photo
There are 'schools' in Madhya Pradesh that are reportedly teaching the children drawn from diverse villages the "art of theft, robbery, and dacoity" and the most baffling bit is that their parents are ready to shell out even up to Rs 3 lakhs to get them enrolled and 'graduate' with criminal skills.
These nondescript villages - Kadia, Gulkhedi, and Hulkhedi, infamously known for criminal activities are apparently equipping these children, as young as 12 to 13 years of age, with the skills of pickpocketing and evasion of arrests, a report by NDTV said.
The children are reportedly trained for a year in different criminal activities under the gang leaders of their parents' choice, before they get into the 'real' world of theft and other crimes. There are over 8,000 such cases registered against more than 2,000 individuals from these villages in various police stations across the country, the report noted.
Situated about 117 kilometers from the state capital, Bhopal, these villages in the Rajgarh district, have been under the radar of the police for 'harbouring criminals', according to the report. However, the police have not been able to do enough to crack the criminal activities as these villagers are also part of the massive criminal network, which is operated out of these villages.
According to the report, the residents of the villages become alert as soon as they spot outsiders and the environment is hostile. Also, the gangs operating from these villages use minors to run their dubious activities, making it even more challenging for the police force to take action.
"When we have to go to these villages, we take the force of several police stations with us to apprehend the accused," the publication quoted Ramkumar Bhagat, a police official from the Boda station as saying.
"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," Ramkumar Bhagat added further.