Between 1837 and 1849 the suppression of the regular practice of
armed dacoity was practically achieved by Colonel Sleeman. A number
of officers were placed under his orders, and with small bodies of
military and police were set to hunt down different bands of dacoits,
following them all over India when necessary. And special Acts were
passed to enable the offence of dacoity, wherever committed, to be
tried by a competent magistrate in any part of India as had been done
in the case of the Thugs. Many of the Badhaks received conditional
pardons, and were drafted into the police in different stations, and
an agricultural labour colony was also formed, but does not seem to
have been altogether successful. During these twelve years more than
1200 dacoits in all were brought to trial, while some were killed
during the operations, and no doubt many others escaped and took to
other avocations, or became ordinary criminals when their armed gangs
were broken up. In 1825 it had been estimated that the Oudh forests
alone contained from 4000 to 6000 dacoits, while the property stolen
in 1811 from known dacoities was valued at ten lakhs of rupees.