An eco-friendly bandit, Shiv Kumar, has eluded police for decades in the forests of north-central India, taking on illegal loggers and once gunning down a poacher for killing black bucks. Kumar, also known as Dadua, or “big brother,” has 241 criminal charges on his police record, ranging from extortion to murder, but forestry officials view him as an ally. One official said Kumar’s “acts have created so much terror both among the forest mafia and conniving forest officials that illicit felling and poaching have virtually come to a halt in the region.” Compare Kumar to another bandit on the loose, Koose Muniswamy Veerappan, who is said to have killed 2,000 elephants for their ivory.
