Court awards capital punishment to 9 in Chitrakoot massacre

Chitrakoot: In what can be termed as a historical judgment, the anti-dacoit court on Friday announced capital punishment for nine accused in the 13-year old Bagaihapurva massacre.

Additional district judge Pudendra Kumar Srivastava announced capital punishment for nine, life term imprisonment for two and two were acquitted in the absence of evidence against them.

Bagaihapurva massacre:

Seven persons were charred to death by the dreaded dacoit Ambika Patel alias Thokiya and his cohorts in Ghuretanpur Bagaihapurva village under Bharatkoop area of Chitrakoot district in Uttar Pradesh July 17, 2006.

Thokiya carried a bounty of Rs 5 lakhs on his head.

Four including Thokiya are dead

A case was registered on the complaint of one Raju Prasad Patel of the same village against 25 persons out of which 18 were named.

• Dacoits Thokiya, Chunni, Gudda and Shankar have either been killed or dead.
• The case was in trial since last 13 years.

About Thokiya:

• He was born in 1972 in Lokhariya Purva village under Karvi police station limits in Chitrakoot district.
• He indulged in criminal activities after passing class XII.
• He made his own gang after dacoit Santa Khairvar was killed in an encounter.
• He carried a bounty of Rs 6 lakhs on his head.
• More than 60 cases were registered against him in Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.
• Had killed 6 commandos of UP Special Task Force (STF) on July 22, 2007 along with dacoit Balkhadiya.
• He was killed in an encounter by UP STF in August 2008.