MCOCA court remands Gaja Marne to police custody till March 3

Following the assault, Pune police commissioner Amitesh Kumar had ordered that the accused be booked under the stringent provisions of MCOCA

The special Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) court on Tuesday remanded notorious gangster Gaja Marne to police custody till March 3 following his arrest, along with five associates, for assaulting Devendra Jog, a supporter of union minister of state for civil aviation Murlidhar Mohol. Following the assault, Pune police commissioner Amitesh Kumar had ordered that the accused be booked under the stringent provisions of MCOCA.

Meanwhile, the defence counsel argued that his client (Gaja Marne) was unfairly treated wherein he was ordered to sit cross-legged on the floor. (HT FILE)

Meanwhile, the defence counsel argued that his client (Gaja Marne) was unfairly treated wherein he was ordered to sit cross-legged on the floor during police custody and a photograph of him in that position was clicked and leaked on social media. The lawyer further questioned the applicability of the ‘attempt to murder’ section against Gaja Marne and said that there was no direct evidence or audio recording of Gaja Marne ordering the assault on Jog.

Assistant commissioner of police/ACP (crime) Ganesh Ingale produced Gaja Marne in court amid heavy police presence Tuesday afternoon. ACP Ingale countered the defence’s arguments claiming that there are 28 cases registered against Gaja Marne at various police stations and that he is a threat to society.

ACP Ingale in the remand application demanded the custodial interrogation of Gaja Marne stating that he is a hardcore criminal-on-record and that Jog was assaulted with murder as motive openly at a chowk wherein he was injured.

As per the remand application: “It is a very serious crime and there is a need to probe the reason behind the crime. The police want to arrest the other absconding accused connected with the arrested accused. Currently, technical investigation of the accused’s mobile phone is underway and the police are trying to find out the involvement of other persons in the crime.”

The remand application further reads: “The police want to seize the vehicles used by the absconding accused along with the arrested accused. Gaja Marne and absconding accused Rupesh Marne instructed the other accused to attack Jog. The arrested accused have spread terror in the society and during their interrogation, have been evasive about the absconding accused. The accused has procured huge properties due to his role in organised crime. CCTV footage is being examined to find out the role of the other suspects, if any, in the case.”

Besides Gaja Marne, the crime branch has arrested Om Dharmjigyasu, Kiran Padwal and Amol Tapkir in connection with the case while two suspects are absconding. Additionally, the main accused, Babya Pawar, has also been arrested by the Kothrud police.

The assault took place on February 19, the birth anniversary of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, when Jog – an IT engineer, BJP worker and supporter of Mohol – while riding his two-wheeler in the Bhelke Nagar area had an altercation with the accused over lack of space. In retaliation, members of the gang attacked Jog who was seriously injured. Following the attack, Mohol expressed outrage saying, “I will not allow such lawlessness in my Pune” and directed authorities to take strict legal action against the criminals involved. The additional sections 3 (1)(ii) and 3(4) under MCOCA were added later by the crime branch officials.