KANPUR, March 4 -- Kusuma Nain, who died at King George Medical University, Lucknow, on Saturday, was once the notorious dacoit in Yamuna ravines and created terror in both Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.

Sixty-one-year-old former bandit had been lodged in Etawah jail for over 20 years and was suffering from tuberculosis. Her last rites were performed by her husband Kedar alias Ruthey Yagik in her native Kurauli village of Jalaun on Monday amid tight security.

She had 60 criminal cases lodged against her between 1980 and 2004. Kusuma was a key member of the notorious 21-member Ram Asrey Phakkad gang, which was primarily involved in kidnappings.

She gained notoriety when she gunned down 15 'Mallahs' (members of the boatmen community) ...