Choose the grammatically correct sentence about the dacoits being overtaken by the police while they stopped to divide the booty.

Introduction / Context:
This question tests knowledge of participial constructions and logical subject reference in English grammar. We are given four versions of a sentence about dacoits who were overtaken by the police while they paused to divide the booty. Only one version uses correct tense, structure and logical meaning. Questions like this appear in error identification and sentence improvement sections of competitive examinations.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• There is a group of dacoits who stopped in order to divide stolen booty.
• While they had stopped, the police came and overtook them.
• The non finite clause starting with “having stopped” must logically refer to the dacoits, not to the police.
• The main action of the police should ideally use a simple past tense verb such as overtook.

Concept / Approach:
A participial phrase like “having stopped” usually refers to the subject of the main clause that follows it. So “having stopped to divide the booty” must describe the dacoits, not the police. Any option where this phrase seems to modify “the police” is grammatically or logically incorrect. We also prefer simple past in the main clause because the sequence of past events is clear without requiring past perfect. The clause should show that first the dacoits stopped and then the police overtook them.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Check option A. “The dacoits having stopped to divide the booty, the police had overtaken them.” The opening phrase appears to describe the dacoits, but the main clause places focus on the police and uses “had overtaken,” which is past perfect without further justification. Step 2: Option B uses “being stopped to divide,” which is unidiomatic and does not convey the idea that the dacoits themselves chose to stop. Step 3: Option C says “having been stopped for dividing the booty,” which suggests someone else stopped the dacoits before the police came, which changes the meaning. Step 4: Option D, “The dacoits having stopped for dividing the booty, the police overtook them,” correctly shows that the dacoits stopped and then the police overtook them, with simple past “overtook.”

Verification / Alternative check:
We can reorder option D into a more straightforward form: “The police overtook the dacoits, who had stopped for dividing the booty.” This is clearly logical and grammatically sound. The other sentences either misplace the non finite clause so that it seems to describe the police, or they introduce unnecessary passive forms that alter the intended meaning. Option D preserves both sense and structure.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

• Option A: Past perfect “had overtaken” is awkward here, and the structure makes it sound like the police are the ones who had stopped.
• Option B: “Being stopped to divide” is incorrect usage and does not show voluntary stopping by the dacoits.
• Option C: “Having been stopped” introduces an extra agent and suggests the police or someone else had already stopped them earlier.

Common Pitfalls:
Learners often focus only on tense and ignore logical subject reference. In participial phrases, always check which noun the phrase naturally attaches to. Incorrect attachment can create unintended meanings, even when grammar at word level seems correct. It is safer to mentally expand the sentence to a full clause and see whether the meaning remains logical.

Final Answer:
The grammatically and logically correct sentence is The dacoits having stopped for dividing the booty, the police overtook them.