The Bandit Queen’s Tryst with Looting Digital Riches

Abstract

This case is a fictionalized account based on Phoolan Devi’s gang of dacoits. The case provides an overview of the gang and its activities, and subsequently deals with how the gang has coped with digitization. After the Behmai massacre that brought the gang national notoriety and established it as a savior of downtrodden, the state administration resorts to digitization along with increased police presence to combat the threat from Phoolan Devi’s gang. National notoriety also leads to increase in gang membership from urban vigilantes and runaways. The gang manages the new recruits by having senior members serve as mentors to the rookies. The gang responds to digital transformation initiatives of administration by converting the rookie recruits who have expertise in digital technologies into reverse mentors for senior members so that they are able to continue looting digitized monies.