A picture is worth a thousand words.... Indian Prison near Shikohabad

India, March and November 2005
Originally uploaded by niiicedave

Indian prison. To wind up here, just be poor, without any important connections. You got means or people to bail you, you won't be looking at any serious prison time. Crime is pretty rampant in parts of India as a result, and in the case of this trip, Shikohabad. You'll never hear about what's going on as a traveler, but in one town, Shikohabad, the whole town was in a state of fear because somebody enjoying protection was literally kidnapping children right out of homes and demanding ransom to get them back, and they had been doing it for a year. The crime ring would even bore through walls to snatch children that had been hidden deep in the house. In fact, that town was not far from this prison. We were visiting family in this town. Needless to say, we were eager to leave and get back to saner surroundings.


Shikohabad is located due east of great ancient city of Agra, home to the world famous Taj Mahal.