Editing Dacoity (section)

=== Bandits of Bhind-Morena of Gwalior Chambal ===
The dacoity have had a large impact in the [[Bhind]] and [[Morena, Madhya Pradesh|Morena]] of [[Chambal Division|Chambal]] region in [[Madhya Pradesh]] and [[Rajasthan]] in north-central India.<ref name="trekking">{{cite web |url=https://www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/2019/02/dacoit-highway-robbers-in-india/ |title=Trekking India's wild north, where bandits ruled |author=Paul Salopek |work=National Geographic |date=6 February 2019 |access-date=7 February 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190209124421/https://www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/2019/02/dacoit-highway-robbers-in-india/ |archive-date=9 February 2019 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The exact reasons for the emergence of dacoity in the Chambal valley have been disputed. Most explanations have suggested feudal exploitation as the cause that provoked many people in this region to take arms. The area was also underdeveloped and poor, so banditry posed great economic incentives.<ref name="trekking" /> However, the fact that many gangs operating in this valley were composed of higher castes and wealthy people appears to suggest that feudalism may only be a partial explanation of dacoity in Chambal Valley (Bhaduri, 1972; Khan, 1981; Jatar, 1980; Katare, 1972). Furthermore, traditional honour codes and [[blood feud]]s would drive some into criminality.<ref name="trekking" />

In Chambal, India, organized crime controlled much of the countryside from the time of the [[British Raj]] up to the early 2000s, with the police offering high rewards for the most notorious bandit chiefs. The criminals regularly targeted local businesses, though they preferred to kidnap wealthy people and demand ransom from their relatives – cutting off fingers, noses, and ears to pressure them into paying high sums. Many dacoity also posed as [[social bandit]]s toward the local poor, paying medical bills and funding weddings. One ex-dacoit described his criminal past by claiming that "I was a rebel. I fought injustice."<ref name="trekking"/> Following intense anti-banditry campaigns by the Indian Police, highway robbery was almost completely eradicated in the early 2000s. Nevertheless, Chambal is still popularly believed to be unsafe and bandit-infested by many Indians. One police officer noted that the fading of dacoity was also due to social changes, as few young people were any longer willing to endure the harsh life of highway robbers in the countryside. Instead, they prefer to join crime groups in the city, where life is easier.<ref name="trekking"/>