BHOPAL: For two months, his name had been whispered across the ravines of Chambal in northern Madhya Pradesh and widely discussed on social media. On Thursday, Kalli alias ‘Kiledar’ Gurjar, a dacoit carrying a reward of Rs 80,000 on his head, was arrested in the Lalitapura hill forest after a brief exchange of fire with police. He sustained a bullet injury to his left leg.
The operation, in the Banmore police station area of Morena district, began around 11 am and lasted nearly three hours, police said.
According to police sources, the gang opened fire as soon as its members realised they were surrounded. The outlaws allegedly fired 20 rounds, while the police retaliated with six. When the exchange of fire ended, Kalli had sustained a gunshot injury to his left leg and an injury to his left hand. His aide, Ajay Gurjar, was injured in a fall while attempting to flee and suffered internal injuries. Both were taken into custody and rushed to Morena district hospital.
After receiving first aid, Kalli was reportedly admitted to the hospital's prisoners' ward under heavy security. Ajay Gurjar was also admitted to the same ward.
Police recovered three firearms and 61 live cartridges. Kalli was found in possession of an illegal .32-bore country-made pistol, a company-made .306-bore rifle and 49 cartridges. Ajay Gurjar had a company-made 12-bore rifle and 12 cartridges.
A special team led by Banmore SHO Deepender Yadav and Civil Lines SHO Udaybhan Singh had been formed by Morena Superintendent of Police Dharmaraj Meena specifically to track down Kalli. The team launched the operation after receiving information about his movements.
Kalli is wanted in 20 criminal cases involving murder, attempted murder, robbery, kidnapping, extortion, assault, criminal intimidation and offences under the Arms Act. He had been absconding in nine of these cases. Cases against him are registered at police stations across Morena, Gwalior and Sheopur districts.
Kalli hails from Barwasin village under Deogarh police station limits in Morena district. According to local media reports, he began his criminal career as a mukhbir (police informer), passing on information about gangs and criminals operating in the Chambal and Nirar areas.
However, disputes with local residents reportedly escalated, and he eventually took up arms himself. He allegedly joined hands with local criminals and became involved in extortion and illegal recovery, before moving on to kidnapping, robbery and attempted murder.
His first major brush with notoriety came in April 2022 in Syai ki Tek village of Pahargarh. Kalli allegedly arrived at a family's home and insisted on marrying a minor girl. When the family refused, he allegedly assaulted an elderly man and his daughter-in-law and opened fire.
Police records link him to the Gudda Gurjar gang. After Gudda was arrested in 2022, Kalli allegedly took over the gang's command, expanding its operations across Morena, Gwalior and Sheopur.
The violence reportedly escalated as the gang grew.
On October 8, 2025, Kalli and his associates allegedly abducted Anju Gurjar, who was nine months pregnant, at gunpoint from Gurja village under Gwalior's Tighra police station limits over an old dispute. Several accused were arrested, but Kalli managed to escape.
In July this year, his gang allegedly intercepted a container truck travelling from Delhi to Bhopal on the Ghatigaon-Mohna highway in Gwalior. When the driver refused to pay extortion money, the gang members allegedly fired at all 12 tyres of the vehicle. The incident intensified the police hunt for Kalli.
Two months later, in September, the deputy superintendent of Morena district jail reportedly received a WhatsApp call in Kalli's name, allegedly demanding that his jailed brother be shifted to another barrack. The threat raised questions about jail security and the extent of his network.
