Policemen on the trail of two dreaded bandits in Madhya Pradesh's Chambal ravines are learning new survival skills this summer - like eating basic food and chewing leaves and twigs to quench thirst.

As many as 600 police personnel have been on the hunt for bandit brothers Dayaram Gadaria and Rambabu Gadaria ever since their gang killed 13 people in the northern Gwalior district in October last year.

According to the police, the Gadarias are active in Shivpuri and Gwalior districts, which are part of the Chambal ravines that were once a safe haven for dacoits until hundreds of them were killed or arrested.

For the Madhya Pradesh police, the Gadarias are among the most wanted criminals and carry a reward of Rs.1.5 million. The gang has been codenamed T1 (or Target One) in police records.

An official said the police a few months ago adopted the lifestyle of the dacoits to checkmate them.

They gave up carrying tents, utensils, tinned food and gas cylinders during search operations as the weight of the goods proved to be a deterrent.

Informers told the police how the Gadarias carried just the basic things needed to survive in the ravines.

The official said that apart from guns and ammunition, the bandits took only sattu (ground gram) as food and plastic sheets for shelter. For water, the gang depended on the streams and rivulets in the ravines.

While the police too switched to plastic sheets and sattu, many personnel were not in favour of depending on streams or rivulets for water. They preferred carrying water bottles.

But with the summer at its peak, the water bottles soon ran out.

"One can carry only a limited quantity of water in bottles. There are times when one cannot leave the ravines even if the food is over," a police inspector told IANS.

The policemen, during search operations, came to know that tribal villagers who went to the forests for collecting wood, leaves and flowers often stayed without water for several days.

"We inquired and found that they chewed leaves of 'palash' trees to quench their thirst. The tribals have apparently been doing so for ages," the inspector said, adding that the policemen took to this idea and gave up the water bottles.