In the memoirs of an IPS officer: The moment an entire class was kidnapped by bandits

In the 1970s, the state of Uttar Pradesh was 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 in his office, news surfaced that around 40 to 50 armed bandits had attacked a school and allegedly kidnapped an entire class. This report left everyone shocked. The then Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), SK Shungul, said that he had never heard of such an incident in his life. The reason for kidnapping the entire class left everyone surprised.

According to police reports, the Janga and Phoola gangs of Chambal committed the kidnapping. The Phoola gang was mainly from Rajasthan but was known to commit crimes in Uttar Pradesh. Ajai Raj Sharma mentioned in his book that the criminals were equipped with modern weapons. On receiving this information, Sharma and his team rushed to the crime scene.

Locals informed the police that the criminals had first kidnapped the children and then flagged down a Roadways bus to use for transportation. They reportedly threatened the passengers with guns to get off the bus. While some people started running out of fear, a man said he would not leave and also encouraged others not to leave. The man’s name was Mahabir Singh, a sub-inspector of the local police station. While he tried to stop the kidnappers, a female member of the gang shot at him, leading to 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 as to why the criminals kidnapped the entire class. After investigation, the officials revealed that the criminals kidnapped the entire class because they could not identify the right child. They gradually released all the children except the one they 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 courage. He was impressed by the way the sub-inspector had fought bravely against the criminals to save the children. When Mahabir confronted the bandits, he even managed to snatch one of their belts, which Ajai Raj Sharma later kept as a symbol of revenge. The 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 courage, he was made the chief of the Special Task Force (STF).