A DACOITY

A DACOITY

Points: A daring dacoity was committed in the house of rich landlord – An account of the dacoity – What was the cause of it – Investigation by the policy.

Last year a daring dacoity was committed at the house of a rich landlord, in my village. It was at about midnight when eight dacoits armed with pistols and swords entered the village. The village watchman saw them but dared not stop them. He was so frightened that he ran away at their sight and hid himself in his house. Finding no one check their progress, they made straight for the house of the landlord. The landlord was out of station. He had gone to a neighboring village on an important piece of business. Only his wife with a little boy and two servants was in the house. Six of the deposits ascended the roof of the house by means of a ladder. While two of them watched outside the house. They jumped into the courtyard from the roof and at once covered the two servants with their pistols. They were so much frightened that they could not even raise a hue and cry. They stood dumb like statues.4essay.blogspot.com

The dacoits now entered the room where the wife of the landlord was lying asleep. “Tell us where the keys of the safes are, or the sword shall put an end to your life,” threatened all of them. But this lady would not tell them anything. She persistently told them that she had no keys with her, but they would not believe her. At last they broke open the safes and got possession of all the jewellery and cash they could find, and ran off with their booty.

It was long after they had gone out of the village that the servants ran out of the house, raised a hue and cry and awakened the sleeping villages. But the villagers dared not pursue the gang of armed robbers at night. They ran to the nearest police station and reported of the dacoity. The loss was estimated at Rs.100,000 cash and jewellery worth some 75,000 rupees. Fortunately, there had been no loss of life.

The cause of the dacoity was simply the enmity of the dacoits with the landlord who had in a certain case given evidence against them. Finding the landlord away, they had come to wreak vengeance upon him by plundering his house.4essay.blogspot.com

The police made a thorough investigation into the matter and were able to trace all the culprits after a hard search for six months. All of them were tried and sentenced to several years rigorous imprisonment. The landlord, however, could get back only half of his lost property.