Bhopal, Aug. 12: Cooks, barbers, bandmasters and drivers of Madhya Pradesh police have been pressed into action to arrest the dreaded gang of Rambabu Gadaria, the “Veerappan of Chambal”.

For the past 10 days, director-general of police Dinesh Jugran has been camping in Chambal and supervising operations to catch Rambabu and his cousin Ramasray, who carry a reward Rs 5 lakh each on their heads. But nothing has come of it yet.

Jugran yesterday summoned fifth battalion commandants stationed at Murena, ordering even bandmasters, barbers, drivers and cooks to assist 10 companies of the force engaged in operations in the tricky ravines.

Police sources said the force is spending Rs 50 lakh a month to get hold of Gadaria’s gang — a chilly reminder of the days of dacoits like Malkhan Singh, Man Singh and Phoolan Devi, who had created havoc on the borders of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.

Veerappan, the sandalwood smuggler, operates in the jungles lining the fringes of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala.

The Madhya Pradesh police’s monthly expenditure of Rs 50 lakh is, however, chickenfeed compared to the estimated Rs 150 crore that, police sources said, changes hands annually to secure the safe return of hostages.

In the past year, some 2,000 kidnappings were reported from the Chambal region. Recently, two public works assistant engineers from Shivpuri were kidnapped. They returned three days later, after an undisclosed ransom was reportedly paid.

The Gadaria gang struck again, picking two schoolteachers who are still missing.

Gwalior police arrested Gadaria in March 2000 but the dreaded dacoit and four others escaped from custody a year later. On way to Gwalior jail from Dabra after a court appearance, a dozen members of his gang forced stop a police cavalcade, snatched four rifles, over 60 cartridges and three handcuffs from the police. Five policemen and a driver suffered minor injuries in an encounter that lasted about half an hour. Rambabu and his four mates escaped in the melee after the police were waylaid.

Local NGOs like Ekta Parishad are dismissive about police chief Jugran’s initiative to nab Gadaria. Backwardness and other socio-economic reasons are breeding new gangs that are taking over from the old ones, a social activist said. Village after village, there are no employment opportunities and there is little scope for farming in the absence of cultivable land.

Dacoits also breed in Chambal because the ravines provide a natural shield. Caste discrimination, persecution by the police and glorification of dacoits by sections of society are some of the other factors that make a dacoit. The political parties may deny it but that the dacoits enjoy their patronage is no secret.