Former bandit Seema Parihar, 3 others get 4 yrs’ jail in kidnapping case

Parihar, once a member of the Lalaram Singh gang, surrendered before the UP Police in June 2000 after Singh was killed in a police encounter

KANPUR The anti-dacoity court in Auraiya on Wednesday convicted former bandit Seema Singh Parihar, 55, and her three aides for kidnapping a man for ransom in 1994. Special judge (anti-dacoity) Sunil Singh sentenced them to four years’ imprisonment and levied a fine of ₹5,000 each.

Special judge (anti-dacoity) Sunil Singh sentenced them to four years’ imprisonment and levied a fine of ₹5,000 each. (Pic for representation)

District government counsel (DGC) Abhishek Mishra and additional DGC (anti-dacoity) Mukesh Porwal said the court found Parihar, her gang members Ram Kishan alias Kishna, Chhote and Aniruddh guilty. They were sentenced to four years’ imprisonment, said Porwal. This is the first time Seema has been convicted in any case after being acquitted in 15 cases in the past.

Parihar, once a member of the Lalaram Singh gang, surrendered before the UP Police in June 2000 after Singh was killed in a police encounter. She considered former bandit Phoolan Devi an inspiration and appeared as a contestant in Big Boss in 2010. Parihar was also seen in a film. She joined the Samajwadi Party after being released from jail.

The case against her was registered at Auraiya Kotwali on March 19, 1994. About 15 heavily armed men had kidnapped Pramod Tripathi, 25, when he was on his field to oversee the irrigation in Gadiya Baxiram village.

The charge sheet in this case was filed after the victim somehow reached his house. Gang leader Lalaram and Seema Parihar were charged in this case. Trial in the case took place for some time in Etawah but was transferred to Auraiya after it was carved out Etawah as a district in 1997. Seema faced the trial with others while Lalaram died in 2000 in a shootout with Kanpur Dehat police.

Earlier, Parihar was brought to Kanpur amid tight security. The former bandit expressed disappointment that she was punished despite no involvement in the case. “I do not how and why the police added my name in this case,” she said.

Her lawyer Kuldeep Dubey said he would challenge the court’s decision in the higher court. Seema was a captive of Lalaram and included in cases in which Lalaram was an accused” he said, adding this is why she was acquitted in other cases.

Parihar was kidnapped at the age of 13 by Lalaram and Kusuma Nain and became an active dacoit after getting married to another dacoit Nirbhay Gujjar in 1986. Before she surrendered, Parihar had nearly 60 cases of kidnapping, murder and arson registered against her in UP and Madhya Pradesh.