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Shriniwas Joshi
Surprisingly, according to the National Crime Records Bureau, 11 robberies took place in 'Dev bhoomi Himachal' in 2016. Not only this, of 36 states and union territories, Himachal stood at 20th place in terms of crime rate.
Thefts and robberies are crimes that are interrelated and in both robbers and thieves make a claim over things that are not theirs. A thief conducts his operation silently, whereas robbery is done with the same intention, but with violence or intimidation. In 2008, two French tourists were robbed of their camera and Rs 25,000 in Shimla. A guy posing as a tourist guide befriended the two and offered beer at one of the bars on The Mall. The two foreigners felt giddy after taking the beer. So, the guide offered to drop them at the hotel. The tourists felt like sleeping when the guide decamped with their camera and cash. Is it theft or robbery? Recently, in the month of January, a masked man entered a petrol pump at Chalet village in Una. At gunpoint, he took Rs 75,000 from the chest and ran away. This, of course, is robbery!
May I call it robbery or the daredevilry of thieves, that they, in 2010, stole the antique bell from the Indian Institute of Advanced Studies that enjoyed two-tier security? The eight-metal alloy bell weighing 30 kg went missing from the institute. It was tied to a 60-kg wooden plank and standing next to the reception of the building. How can such a heavy bell be stolen from the premises of the IIAS? The bell was gifted to the then Viceroy - Lord Curzon - by the King of Nepal in 1903. Shimla Police started investigations but found no trace. The CBI, too, remained clueless and so, withdrew from the case.
There was a robbery and murder of a monk at Tirasang monastery in Kinnaur district in January 2014. The accused KS Thapa (44) was arrested with two others for murdering monk Dorje Lundup and decamping with three brass idols, currency and 10 silver coins.
Once, a taxi-driver ferrying me to Rohru had told me that there was a thief belonging to Tau village of Rohru Tehsil, who was notorious for his misdeeds. When I asked his name, the driver couldn't recall, but it pointed him towards a name - Sunder.
I could, however, find the deeds of Sultana Daku, who would rob the rich to help the poor. He is called the Robinhood of India. Recently, I went to Robber's Cave, also called Guchhupani at Dehradun. Dehradun is hardly 45 km away from Paonta Sahib and is frequently visited by Himachalis. Many Himachalis have their property there, too! One has to walk in knee-deep sparkling clear water flowing between two huge rocks to reach an ultimate point, from where one has to, willy-nilly, return. It is said this place was known to be the hideout of Sultana Daku. He was a swashbuckling dacoit, who was highly impressed by Rana Pratap, so had named his horse Chetak. Guchhupani, which was called Robber's Cave during the British times (even the signboards at Dehradun, at present reflects both names) was one of the hideouts of Sultana Daku. He would often move into the Terai area of Dehradun, including those of the connected areas of Sirmaur princely state. These jungles were also his hideouts from the British in the 1920s. There is, however, no evidence that he committed robbery here.
He was captured by Lieutenant Colonel Samuel Pearce and was sent to the gallows on July 7, 1924. Pearce had Freddie Young as Deputy Superintendent of Police attached to him. Freddie Young liked Sultana and tried his best to save him from hanging, but could not. He adopted his 7-year-old son and sent him to England to study because Sultana wished to make him a "sahib" like Freddie. Sultana had a big harem, but his favourite woman was Phoolkanwar, a dancing girl. Though dead, Sultana continues to live in 'Nautanki' written by Roopram, a writer in Nathram Gaud's Nautanki troupe, and also through biopic films.
Tailpiece
Three men performed a robbery. The police came, and to ditch the cops, they hid into three sacks. A constable kicked the first sack, a voice came: "Woof". "Nothing but a dog, Inspector"; the second one kicked the other sack, a voice came: "Meow". "Nothing but a cat, Inspector". The third one kicked and a voice came: "Potatoes"