19 encounters by Pune police since 1983
On Sunday, after a lull of 16 years, gangster Shahrukh alias Atti Rahim Shaikh was killed in retaliatory firing after he attacked the police
Since 1983, the Pune police have carried out as many as 19 encounters across the city and Pimpri-Chinchwad, the latter previously being under the unified Pune city Commissionerate. The encounters have been largely aimed at dismantling organised crime networks and containing the growing threat of gang violence and extortion in the Pune Metropolitan Region (PMR).
The most recent encounter occurred on Sunday in Solapur, leading to the death of Tipu Pathan gang member, Shahrukh alias Atti Rahim Shaikh, who was killed in retaliatory firing by the police after he attacked them. Additional commissioner of police (crime), Pankaj Deshmukh, said, “Our team went to Solapur when we received information that this notorious criminal was hiding there. The deceased opened fire on our police officer who then returned fire in self-defence due to which the former was injured. He died in hospital.”
Prior to Sunday’s encounter, the last official encounter by the Pune city police occurred 16 years ago in August 2009 when notorious gangster Rahul Kandhare was shot dead at Chandani Chowk.
The Sunday encounter marks a return to encounter killings in a renewed effort to crack down on entrenched criminal networks operating beyond the city limits, according to crime branch officials.
Else, Pune’s association with police encounters spans several decades with the city’s first officially recognised encounter having occurred on May 22, 1986 when two goons—Raju Shaikh and Hashimuddin Pathan—attacked police officers, injuring two of them, only to be beaten to death with lathis by the police. This incident is widely regarded as the beginning of encounter killings by the Pune police.
Thereafter in 1992, the police shot and killed criminal Jangya Bhosale in an exchange of fire. That same year, another notorious gangster, Suresh Takale, was also gunned down in a separate encounter. Later, two more criminals—Khalil Shaikh and Mohammad Shaikh—were killed in Kalewadi. A total of four encounters took place in 1992 alone. These actions forced several criminals to withdraw from street-level crime and divert their attention to sectors like real estate to avoid direct confrontation with law enforcement.
Three years later in 1995, the situation changed dramatically when land prices in Pune surged, making the real estate sector a prime target for organised gangs. Criminal elements began inserting themselves into land purchase and sale, and land grabbing. The ensuing competition and turf wars triggered a spike in murder and extortion cases.
In 1995 itself, police inspector Suresh Pote and his team killed two members of the Arun Gawli gang—Kiran Walavkar and Ravi Karanjawkar—in an encounter. Two years later, on November 19, 1997, one of Pune’s most high-profile encounters unfolded when gangster Pramod Malwadkar was shot dead in Kalewadi. This incident is viewed as a turning point in the violent rivalry between the gangs led by Balu Andekar and Malwadkar. Officers involved in the operation said that both gangs were deeply entrenched in gambling and extortion rackets.
Then in 2001, three members of the gang led by Suresh Mancharkar were killed in an encounter. Over the following years, several other gangsters met with a similar fate—including Dilip Gosavi, Rohidas Yeole, Ramesh Taware, Rajesh Choudhary, Baba Gandale, Sanjay Shelke, Robert Salve, and Santosh Ovhal.
On February 4, 2009, dreaded gangster Mubeen Isaque Shaikh, 34, of Yerawada was killed in a police encounter outside Vishal Hotel on the old Panvel-Mumbra road at Taloja. An unidentified individual was also killed during the exchange of fire. According to the then deputy commissioner of police Anil Kumbhare from the Pune crime branch, Shaikh was involved in 18 criminal cases, including three murders and two attempted murders.
Commenting on the pattern of encounters thus far, noted criminal lawyer, advocate Milind Pawar, said, “These encounters reflect a long-standing strategy by the city police to counter organised crime through decisive action, particularly during periods when criminal gangs posed a major challenge to law and order. However, the legalities of encounters have always invited criticism from judicial authorities and human rights activists who call them extra-judicial and unconstitutional.”
Encounters by the Pune police: A snapshot
1986: First recorded encounter in which Raju Shaikh and Hashimuddin Pathan were killed after they assaulted police officers.
1992: Four encounters wherein criminals Jangya Bhosale, Suresh Takale, Khalil Shaikh, and Mohammad Shaikh were killed.
1995: Kiran Walavkar and Ravi Karanjawkar of the Arun Gawli gang were killed.
1997: Pramod Malwadkar encounter, seen as a major turning point in the city’s gang rivalry.
2001–2009: At least 10 more gangsters were killed, including Mubeen Shaikh in Taloja.
2025: After a lull of 16 years, gangster Shahrukh alias Atti Rahim Shaikh was shot dead in Solapur.
