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Police crackdown on vehicle vandals, 472 arrested in 145 cases over four years
The Pune police have arrested 472 accused in 145 cases of vehicle vandalism during the past four years
The Pune police have arrested 472 accused in 145 cases of vehicle vandalism during the past four years. In total, 442 vehicles have been destroyed worth crores of rupees in this timeframe.
According to the crime branch data, as many as 11 cases were lodged during 2021 where 50 vandals mostly youth were arrested for damaging 72 vehicles across the city while 162 vandals were arrested in 50 cases for destroying 124 vehicles in 2020.
In 2018, 139 accused were arrested in 48 cases for destroying 131 vehicles compared with 121 accused arrested in 50 cases for damaging 115 vehicles.
DCP (crime) Bacchan Singh said, “A total of 50 cases of vandalising vehicles were registered in 2020 in which 162 accused were arrested. Most of such incidents have taken place in slum areas and done with the intention to create terror in the locality and show their “bhaigiri” by aspiring criminals. Such cases are being taken very seriously and stringent preventive action like MCOCA/MPDA is being taken against repeat offenders, while juvenile accused are counselled by juvenile unit and police stations.”
The city police led by the crime branch is carrying out intense combing operations in slum pockets and areas prone to vehicle vandalism to arrest miscreants with the objective of vehicle vandalism.
The Pune police are now booking the accused under more stringent legal provisions such as the Criminal Law (Amendment) Act, IPS offences ranging from extortion, robbery and issuance of grave threats to life by spreading terror amongst the citizenry at large.
The data available with city police states that the vandals mostly belong to the age group between 18 and 20 years which include a major chunk of school dropouts hailing from impoverished backgrounds.
The reasons behind vehicle vandalism include flimsy reasons like settling local rivalries, ego battles, establishing clout in their respective localities or neighbourhood or extortion money from shopkeepers including robbing local traders. Both the local police station officials and crime branch sleuths are creating awareness among citizens including those engaged in vandalism. A list of 400 vandals on record of the city has been prepared and notices are being sent to them regarding the crime. Also, repeat offenders have been warned that they would be booked under stringent provisions of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) if they continued with their waywardness.
Milind Pawar, a leading lawyer from Pune said, “Vehicle vandalism is a very serious crime, and the city police are rightly taking action under serious crime categories as the accused involved are either juvenile in conflict with the law or youngsters who later on graduate to become bigger criminals. The combing operations and invoking of MCOCA and MPDA against the accused will keep the vehicle vandalism under a tight leash. More crackdowns on the gangs engaged in vandalism is the need of the hour and arrests are mandatory to keep the crime rate under check.”
Daljeet Singh Goraya, Ganga Kingston society secretary said, “The hooligans are indulging in this kind of violent behavior just like the outlawed motorcycle gangs operational in Mohammadwadi. These anti-social elements should be taught a lesson by iron hand and the city police combing operation and subsequent arrests will act as a strong deterrent in the near future.”
