Petty criminals and biker gang members have started using nicknames, once the preserve of hardcore criminals.

Many of these, however, are more comical than scary.

The Shastri Nagar police in January this year had arrested three member of a biker gang - Shashi Ranjan alias Chotu Mental, Vikrant alias Little and a third youth Om Prakash. Shashi and Vikrant got their nicknames from their gang members because of their activities and physical structure.

"Shashi was called Mental due to his over-reactive nature," said an officer at Shastri Nagar police station. "The youth used to fly off the handle on the slightest provocation and due to his behavioural attitude, even his friends and gang members were scared. They used to call him Mental."

Similarly, Vikrant was known as Little because of his small height. "Criminals using nicknames is an old trend," said Mritunjay Kumar, the Rajiv Nagar police station house officer. "Most of them used to adopt nicknames to terrify people. Everyone knows about Naga, the terror of the Mokama region who has 37 cases lodged against him. Naga's original name was Nigresh Singh."

Naga is lodged at Beur Jail. Other criminal nicknames include Dahi and Disco.