Putlibai dacoit

The Putli Bai (Hindi: पुतली बाई) (1926 or 1929 - 1958) was a dreaded female dacoit, often known by the epithet "Indian Bandit Queen". She was the first female dacoit of India. Her area of dacoity was the famed Chambal valley, which remained for a long time a stronghold of dacoits. Supposedly, she never wanted to be a dacoit, but became so because of excessive cruelty meted out upon her time and again, and dacoity - kind of - became her last resort. Gradually as she became famous in the world of dancing, she began to be called Putlibai. The name appears to be a reference to a typical Indian puppet, who is made to dance by a hidden artist. Another conjecture is that she used to slither as smoothly as the pupils of an eye, and hence the name.

Kidnap

Sultana who had zero respect for women had seen Putli dance in Agra and had fallen in love with her or so he thought he did. According to Sultana, women represent evil temptation and could bring bad luck but the thought of Putlibai in contact without anyone else other than him had swept him over. Having heard of the wedding in Dholpur, he had decided to kidnap her. Their relationship was never peaceful, and although Putli escaped on at least two occasions, she eventually chose to return, bored and violated by the life she was offered under her mother's guidance (her mother's brothel). Gradually she fell in love with him. Putlibai (1999 film), starring Raj Kiran