JAIPUR: In a love story straight out of a Bollywood potboiler, the daughter of a policeman tied the knot with an incarcerated dacoit in Dholpur’s Rajakhera area.

The “story” begins with the policeman’s daughter being harassed by a notorious dacoit in the Chambal ravines of Dholpur. The cop’s frightened family members approach another dacoit Shiv Dutt, requesting him to intervene. As luck would have it, the dacoits turned out to be Shiv Dutt’s friends, leading to an immediate stop to the girl’s harassment. Later, in yet another ironic twist, the dacoit and the policeman’s daughter fall in love. This could easily pass for the script of a ’70s Hindi film, except it actually happened last month.

The couple got married amid tight security on November 24 with a team of two dozen policemen standing guard. Dutt was escorted back to jail after the wedding rites.

ASI, Dihauli police station, Rajveer Singh said the dacoit’s father-in-law Roop Singh is a head-constable with Rajasthan Armed Constabulary’s battalion deputed in Delhi.

Dutt, who is a resident of Dholpur district and is currently lodged in Bharatpur’s Sevar jail, carried a cash reward of Rs 14,000 from Rajasthan and UP police on his head before he was arrested from Tughlakabad area by Delhi police in 2009. Dutt has over 15 cases of murder, kidnap for ransom, rape, extortion and attempt to murder registered against him in various police stations in Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. Before being nabbed in Delhi, he had been convicted for 10 years imprisonment in a rape case. However, he had jumped parole and disappeared.

Shriman Lal Meena, circle officer of Manali in Dholpur, told TOI, “We had received a court order through the Sevar jail administration that security was to be provided during the wedding of an inmate in Rajkhera.” Elaborate security for dacoit’s wedding

Shriman Lal Meena, circle officer of Manali in Dholpur, told TOI, “We had received a court order through the Sevar jail administration that security was to be provided during the wedding of an inmate in Rajkhera.When we came to know that the inmate was a notorious dacoit, we were concerned that he might escape. Therefore, elaborate security were put in place besides arrangements by the jail authorities.”

“The story that came up was quite interesting. The girl developed a relationship with Dutt after he rescued her from a gang of dacoits active in Chambal. The girl’s father and brother were unsure about allowing the wedding. However, the girl refused to budge from her decision,” said an officer deputed on security duty. He added that the dacoit used mobile phones in Sevar jail to call the girl before the wedding.

Police officials said dacoits are part of normal life for people living in Chambal area covering areas of Rajasthan , Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. “Though people fear dacoits in Dholpur, they accept them as part of society. In most cases, the dacoits are even respected for their acts of ‘bravery and fearlessness’ ,” said another police officer.