Marne’s close aide Pandya Mohite in Pune police net
The arrest comes a day after five policemen were suspended for allegedly providing mutton biryani to Marne in a police van during his transfer from Pune to Sangli jail
Pune city police’s crime branch on Wednesday arrested Balakrishna alias Pandya Laxman Mohite (40), a close aide of notorious gangster Gajanan Marne.
The arrest comes a day after five policemen were suspended for allegedly providing mutton biryani to Marne in a police van during his transfer from Pune to Sangli jail.
Mohite, widely known as Marne’s “right hand”, is suspected of handling key financial operations of the gang and playing a central role in its criminal activities. He, along with other associates, allegedly continues to run the Marne gang from Sangli district.
Mohite was detained around 4am in Sangli and formally arrested around 12.30pm. He was later produced before a special Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) court and remanded to police custody till May 17.
Police said Marne was arrested in February for allegedly attacking an IT engineer in Pune’s Kothrud area. On March 3, he was sent to judicial custody. While being shifted to Sangli jail, Mohite and 40–50 supporters from Pune, Sangli, and Satara allegedly followed the police van and engaged in unlawful activities.
The entire sequence was captured on CCTV cameras, police said. Mohite has multiple criminal cases registered against him in Bharati Vidyapeeth area of Pune and in Islampur, Sangli district.
He also drew public and departmental attention for allegedly arranging mutton biryani for Marne during his transfer from Yerawada Jail to Sangli — an act that led to the suspension of five police personnel.
Sources in the crime branch said Mohite had been under surveillance for some time due to his close links with the Marne gang and his suspected involvement in ongoing illegal activities. His arrest is being seen as a key step in the crackdown on Marne’s criminal network.
Police are currently interrogating Mohite to gather more information about the gang’s operations and financial dealings. Further developments are likely as the investigation continues.
