THE skinny would-be kingpin and his fearless bike gang were seemingly everywhere.
When someone was shot or robbed in this city of 16 million, where murder is relatively rare, police pointed to the same suspect: Bunty, the notorious gang leader who terrorised New Delhi from astride a motorcycle.
Bunty's reign ended on Monday whe
n he died in a pre-dawn shoot-out with police. Authorities trumpeted the news as a hard-fought victory over the city's most wanted man, held responsible for stabbings, shootings, robberies and more.
Police classified him as a "BC", for Bad Character, the highest category of criminal – and he was on a first-name basis with the media. One leading newspaper announced his demise simply: "Bunty shot".
"It's almost like he's a quasi-mythical figure," said Santosh Desai, a media critic and Times of India columnist. "It's blurring into lore."
India has a long history of celebrating bandits as folk heroes and their legends often reflect the society they stalk.
With a youthful nickname, a passion for flashy motorcycles and an ambition to rise high, Bunty – whose real name was Om Prakash – was a criminal for the new India.
A generation ago, the ubiquitous vehicles crowding Indian streets were clunky Hindustan Ambassadors, based on 1950s' Morris Oxford cars. The loosening of the economy in 1991 brought a flood of foreign vehicles – including the Japanese-made powerful motorcycles favoured by Bunty.
His exploits were straight out of the hit Indian motorcycle robbery films Dhoom and its sequel, perhaps lending a patina of Bollywood glitz to his thuggery.
He roamed the streets, forcing motorcyclists to part with their wallets and their bikes, quick to shoot those who hesitated.
Since his latest crime wave began in April, he had stolen at least seven motorcycles and killed at least five people, police said.
Police said it was unclear how many murders he had committed in total, but they linked him to at least 42 crimes, including murder, attempted murder and robbery.
His mystique grew along with his brutal record, which included four murders in one week last month.
Mr Desai compared Bunty to the legendary Veerappan, a smuggler who murdered police officers, slaughtered elephants and became a national celebrity before police gunned him down in 2004. A dashing figure with a giant moustache, Veerappan was a Robin Hood for villagers who felt forgotten.
"It seems like Bunty is a more urban version of Veerappan, without some of the romance," said Mr Desai.
Commuters at a motorcycle parking area in New Delhi all knew of Bunty, and they said he got what he deserved.
"He used to kill people over a gold chain," said Sameer Sharma, 22. "I don't think he was cool at all."
Indeed, it is possible that his reputation grew as large as it did only because New Delhi has relatively few murders for a city of its size.
But having vanquished the tabloid star, police were happy to play up the legend of Bunty.
"The person who was so violent in killing people," said the police spokesman, Rajan Bhagat, "he is no more."
The full article contains 531 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
