E-Paper
Gun crime spikes in Pune city, doubled in last 5 years
As per the data shared by National Crime Records Bureau, gun crime cases registered in Pune city under Arms Act 1959 increased from 101 in 2017 to 199 in 2021
As per the data shared by National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) cases registered under Arms Act 1959 increased from 101 in 2017 to 199 in 2021. Police attributes the spike in cases to domestic violence, stress, easy access to firearms.
These findings come at a time when a 27-year-old conservancy worker, indentified as Akshay Prakash Bhise was shot dead by two motorcycle-borne assailants in Chandannagar on August 21. The unidentified assailants fired at least three bullets at Bhise, who died on the spot, police said.
As per data, 101 cases registered under Arms Act 1959 in 2017, 75 in 2018, 74 in 2019 and the cases rose to 118 and 199 in 2020 and 2021 respectively. Of these 567 cases registered from 2017 to 2021, 406 were related to illegal/unlicensed firearms.
According to senior police officials, these unlicensed firearms are bought in from West Bengal, Jharkhand and other adjoining district by migrants who move to Pune. Many youths have used country made pistol for the purpose of creating terror
Amitabh Gupta, Pune police commissioner said, “In last few years the several such gangs have been busted by Pune police to curb trade of illegal weapons in the city. However we have instructed stronger policing to weed out the business of illegal firearms .The police are working to identify sources of such illegal gun suppliers to Pune, once we identify them, it will be easier to bust rackets and make arrests.”
Past incidents
June 15, 2022: A 45-year-old Taufiq Akhtar Sheikh,was injured after being shot with a gun in the crowded Fashion Street area of Camp
February 8, 2022: Amit Thopte, 32, a resident of Bibwewadi, who was sitting with his friends when a group of miscreants open fired at them due to previous enmity
December 6, 2021: Local builder Sameer Manoor Shaikh (28) was shot dead in a crowded road in south Pune’s Katraj area by four men who escaped on a two-wheeler.
