This Salman Khan has killed 57 people in 10 years

BAREILLY: “No dacoity is complete without a murder,“ Salman Khan told UP police a few days ago, his matter-offact confession shocking even the toughest of cops. Salman was 16 when he committed his first murder. Ten years later, the dreaded dacoit and leader of Rohilkhand's Chaimar gang has “confessed“ to 57 murders in 10 years -second only to Behram Singh, a thug, who is said to have butchered 150 people in the 19th century. Once we started interrogating Salman Khan, leader of the Rohilkhand-based Chaimar gang, his confession opened a tale of brutality. You name any district in the region -Bareilly , Badaun, Pilibhit, Kannauj, Shahjahanpur, Kanpur or Hardoi -and he would narrate the sequence of the crimes he committed there over the years,“ Bareilly circle inspector Asit Srivastava told TOI on Saturday.

Interrogators were struck by the cool manner in which Salman recounted the murders he claimed to have com mitted. “His gang's modus operandi was to eliminate witnesses and then ransack a house for valuables,“ said Srivastava. “Salman showed no remorse while reeling out 50 cases of robberies during his confession.“


Srivastava has now asked for a booklet to be prepared on the appearance, attire and methods of the gang and distribute it. “There are seven to eight splinter groups of the gang by now led by Salman's associates. They are all on good terms with one another and with Salman,“ he said. The gang's exploits are reminiscent of the dreaded thugs of the 19th century as well as their ruthlessness and secular beliefs. “Claiming descent from Punjab, the ancestors of the Chaimar gang made Rohilkhand their area of operation. All the members are illiterate. They celebrate Hindu and Muslim festivals in the same spirit,“ police said.

“We were misled by the claims of innocence of Mohd Hanif, 21, who was arrested with Salman and Azad Ali.After Badaun police arrived we found out that Hanif had killed 13 people there,“ said inspector Mohd Qasim. Police now plan to crack down on their `harbourers', including lawyers and guarantors, who take them out of jail on fake bail bonds.