Policemen are not that much feared in India by criminals. In a rare instance, the very sight of policemen has sent shivers down the spine of a kidnapper, who felt it would be better to commit suicide instead of being caught by the police.

The incident has happened in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh. The ex-driver of a rich businessman kidnapped the latter's child. He demanded a ransom of Rs 3 Cr. The worried father lodged a police complaint. The UP police successfully traced the kidnapper. Reportedly, the offender shot himself dead as soon as he spotted the police approaching him.

Reason? He didn't want to face the prospect of being put in the jail and pursued hotly, as the UP police have been doing since 2017 under the Yogi Adityanath regime with criminals. History-sheeters in UP have been scared by the toughness of the police, who have been launching operations in several districts against gun-wielding gangsters, etc. About 10,000 accused have preferred to remain in the jail even though they could have got out on bail. Gabbar Singh-type policemen, perhaps.