The last of the Chambal?s legendary bandits, Nirbhay Singh Gujjar lived a life that would make any Bollywood baddie turn green with envy.
Booze, babes, guns and goons were his passion. As in life, the dacoit leaves behind an image that?s larger than life and tales that make him a consummate folk anti-hero.
Armed with AK-47 assault rifles, stenguns, shotguns, bulletproof jackets, night-vision binoculars and mobile phones, Gujjar was a new age Gabbar Singh, using wealth and wisdom to modernise his gang of 70.
Like Gabbar Singh, the brigand had a taste for wine and women. Desi booze was a complete no-no for Gujjar, born in a nomadic community in Panchdeora village. His favorite evening tippler was Bagpiper whiskey.
His peccadilloes made him infamous and even a source of envy for his rivals. One of his wives ? he had five ? called him a 'sex maniac' for his penchant for nubile women.
For one who began a life of crime with petty thefts early on in life, Gujjar developed a cunning intelligence of a crook and the heart of a lion.
He once placed an ad in local papers inviting applications for the Indian Army. When the candidates turned up, they were kidnapped and taken into the jungles. He collected Rs 1 crore in ransom.
But more than his tales of terror and trickery, Gujjar?s flashy lifestyle was more prominent, especially his life of serial marriages, much written about and filmed by the media.
At 23, Nirbhay kidnapped a 13 year-old-girl, Seema Parihar, after a property dispute between her father and a Gujjar family. In a Bollywoodesque turn, Seema fell in love with her abductor and married him in 1987.
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In 1990, there was another twist in the story. Seema ran away with Gujjar's mentor, dacoit Lala Ram.
But with all the money and power, Gujjar wasn?t going to stay single for long. He kidnapped a 16-year-old, Munni Pandey, whom he married and groomed in the art of crime.
Three years later, Munni eloped with Nirbhay's cousin Munna Gujjar. Enraged, Nirbhay tracked down the couple and shot them dead.
The dacoit then took a fancy to another 16-year-old Neelam, whom he married on Republic Day at a grand wedding attended, ironically, by local police officers and politicians.
Barely six months into the "dream marriage", Neelam ran away with Nirbhay's adopted son, Shyam.
The serial cuckold could not take the rejection anymore and had a mental breakdown. It is believed, Gujjar's downfall came about mainly because of his liasons with various women.
On Monday night the terror of Chambal was gunned down in Etawah district of UP. At the time of his death, he had five women members in his gang.
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