Krishnagiri: It is not just his terrifying looks, but also his previous mission of killing his targets has changed for this 94-year-old once feared criminal and former dacoit, Pancham Singh. Dubbed ‘lion of Chambal valley’ in Madhya Pradesh and previously seen as thorn in the flesh of the police because of his notoriety, Pancham Singh was here in Hosur of Krishnagiri district on Saturday.
He had allegedly killed over 100 of his enemies during his reign as ‘daku’, but now acts as the ambassador for ‘Brahma Kumaris’ to teach non-violence and also stands as a good example why the capital punishment should be abolished in India. However, the ‘daku’ who escaped the noose, surprisingly speaks in support of capital punishment, which according to him should be used against criminals proved of committing crime against women.
“I support capital punishment as it is necessary because of the increase in crimes against women.” Pancham Singh told DC. He added, “one of my gang members raped a woman. I shot him to death to warn others in my team what would happen to them if they harm women. This truly worked till we surrendered to the police due to the mediation of the late leader Jayaprakash Narayanan.”
Pancham took to crimes at the age of 14 with a team of twelve members most of whom were his relatives. They killed around 12 people in a day and went into hiding in Chambal valley, he recalled.
