Old gangs try to recover lost ground, new ones emerge in Pune
Pune is seeing new gangs coming up amid old ones getting active again even as the police have cracked the whip
PUNE: Once a cultural and education centre, Pune is also witnessing new gangs coming up amid old ones getting active again even as Police have cracked the whip.
According to Pune city police, there are eleven criminal gangs active in and around Pune and fighting each other for money, dominance and land.
Recently Pune police arrested gangster Gajanan Marne who had recently kidnapped a businessman from a car and demanded a ransom of ₹20 crore, bringing the focus back on the rising organised crime in the city.
According to police officials, some of the gangs operating in the city are led or known after criminals like Bappu Nair, Baba Bodke, Umesh Ghisadi, Anwar Nawwa, Khada Wasim, Bandu Andekar, Gajanan Marne, Sharad Mohol, Nilesh Ghaywal, Bantya Pawar and Pintya Dhawade.
Most are on police radar even as their leaders and gang members are behind the bars and remaining are inactive.
Police inspector Balaji Pandhare of the Anti-Extortion Squad says, “Majority of the gangsters are in jail including Gajya Marne, Bandu Andekar, Bapu Nayar, Nilesh Ghayal. Sharad Mohol is externed from the Pune city limits and remaining gangs are not operating.’’ According to Pandhare, gang leader Wasim and Nawwa are no more hence there gang activities are almost stopped.
Police claimed that, criminal activities are declining as they had taken strict actions against them under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA). Recently Pune police invoked its 100th MCOCA to keep city crime under control.
However, there are more than two dozens of small gangs working in the city and making headlines of the daily newspapers.
It was said that, though gangster are behind the bars, the gang was operated through his accomplice.
Senior Police officer from the Pune city police department said that, though gangster Sharad Mohol was externed from the city limits, he has not lost his influence. According to the officer, Mohol gang members were involved in many criminal activities like murder, extortion, abduction. They have potential to retaliate, if someone comes in their way.
The most active gang at present is that of Baba Bodke and Gajajan Marne. Bodke’s gang was involved in extortion and at least six firing cases. There are around 15 criminal cases against Bodke gang members registered in Pune. Bodke operates his gang from Vishrantwadi and rural area of Pune like Mulshi.
According to police senior police officials, during earlier days (in 2005) there were fights between the Marne Gang led by Gajanan Marne and Ghaiywal Gang led by Nilesh Ghaiywal. Originally both Marne and Ghaiywal were partners. Ghaiywal was also Marne’s close confidante. “But greed, jealousy and the idea of leading a gang makes all such followers revolt against their leaders and form their own gangs.’’ He said.
According to police record, Marne gang tried to kill Ghaiywal. Marne’s close aid Pappu Kudale and few gang members attacked on Ghaiywal’s head with sharp weapon near Gandhi Bhavan Kothrud. Somehow Ghaiywal saved himself and survived. To settle score, Ghaiywal killed Kudale in an open fire at Dandekar bridge.
In retaliation, Marne almost wiped out the Ghaiywal Gang, an act that saw a lot of bloodshed on both sides. This was the transformation of Marne from being a petty thief in the 2005 to forming celebrity gangster.
Later Marne was booked under MCOCA and finally arrested by Mumbai police. However because of lack of evidences he was released from jail and his followers welcomed him by organising bike rally from Taloja jail to Pune on National highway. There are more than 20 cases have been registered against Marne at various police stations across city and more than 8 prohibitory action were taken against Marne.
.
