ALLAHABAD: In a bid to avoid getting trapped in police net, dreaded bandit Babuli Kol has been making minimum use of phone so that cops are not able to trace his location via mobile surveillance. The brigand, who unleashed a reign of terror in the hilly terrain of Chitrakoot for more than seven years and also carries a cash reward of Rs 7 lakhs on his head, has hardly used the cellphone three times since the August 24 encounter.A sub-inspector had died while two cops, including the Station House Officer of Bahelpurwa police station, were injured in the exchange of fire between the police and Babuli Kol gang in Nihi Chirayya forest under the Manikpur police station of Chitrakoot district on August 24. The dreaded bandit had made his last telephone call to his paramour based in Raipura in which he had apprised her about the injury he sustained in the leg in the encounter and had asked her to pray for his speedy recovery. He had also told her that walking had become extremely difficult for him while the police has been baying for his blood.The bandit's paramour had escaped from her rented accommodation in Raipura few days after the encounter. "We are making sincere efforts to trace the elusive dacoit in the dense forest area even though he has been avoiding cell phone use," said Additional SP Purnendu Singh while talking to TOI."However, we have geared up our intelligence and are building a strong network of informers to trace the exact location of the gang in the dense forest spread over 80 sq km on UP-MP border," he added. The police has also cordoned the jungle from three sides and has confirmed inputs that the injured dacoit has been only relying on his trusted lieutenants for necessary movements. The intelligence inputs have also revealed that the gang now has three key surviving members, Lovlesh Kol, Rajola Chaudhary and Ganga, alias Pahalwan. The police also claimed to have weakened the firepower of the gang after seizing three semi-automatic rifles and a huge cache of cartridges.

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