ALIGARH: Regular police patrols may come as a surprise to most villages in Uttar Pradesh, but for residents of Bagh Badhik , a village 35km from Hathras town, it is a routine affair. Not because the hamlet is inhabited by VIPs, but because it is allegedly a village of thieves.

"Their modus operandi is primitive — they do not own any vehicles, so they travel long distances on foot, commit crimes and rush back," said Arvind Pratap Singh, SO, Sahpau police station, adding that about 30-40% of the men are habitual offenders under constant surveillance. A board outside the thana displaying the names of repeat offenders seems to support his claim, with almost every third name being that of a Bagh Badhik resident. "They are not hardcore criminals but petty thieves," the officer added.More than a century ago, a rich jat landowner gifted a 14 acre-garden (bagh) to members of the landless Badhik community to help them settle. Hence, the name Bagh Badhik, say some of the 1,000 odd residents. Traditionally butchers by profession, most of them have now strayed from their conventional 'work' to tread a different path.Local resident Durak Singh, who was elected gram pradhan in 2005 after retiring from the police force, began concerted efforts to redo the village's image and initiated a movement to control crime by setting up a local monitoring committee, but it wasn't easy. The people there, some villagers said, went back to their old ways, accusing Singh of "selfishness" as he had a steady income while the others were clueless about their next square meal."Seventy-five per cent of people in the village have criminal records. Our family tried hard to improve things, but nothing happened. Often, people from neighbouring villages hire our villagers to commit thefts and then underpay them. I will leave this village soon for a life of dignity. The village needs schools and education to come out of this curse," said Durak Singh's 70-year-old wife Tejwati, the current village head.The stigma of being a resident of Bagh Badhik mars innocents as well. "Many have criminal cases against them, but even those who are innocent are listed as criminals just because they belong to Bagh Badhik," said Sheru Singh, Tejwati's son, who left home some years ago to lead a respectable life.It's hard being tarred by the same brush. "It happens so often that policemen come on random searches to arrest anyone they can find. It doesn't take much to say so-and-so from Bagh Badhik has committed a crime. Cops often use the arrests here to fill their monthly quota of arrests. Irrespective of where the crime happens, the police will come here to investigate," said a villager not willing to be named.Jaiprakash, a resident, doesn't like it when Bagh Badhik is called a village of criminals. "Nobody is a criminal here," he said. "No one has ever been arrested at the scene of the crime."The disgrace associated with the village ensures that there is a constant lack of matrimonial opportunities for the young, a huge sore point among the people. "Our boys don't get wives and our daughters don't get husbands," said another villager. "It is unfair that they should suffer for no fault of theirs. We are trying hard for the image of our village to change. Youngsters are studying and going out for work. There are better days ahead."