Techie assaulted in broad daylight by Gaja Marne gang members in Kothrud; 3 held
According to deputy commissioner of police (DCP) Sambhaji Kadam, the altercation began at Bhelkenagar Chowk over a trivial issue
A minor argument escalated into a violent assault when three members of the notorious Gaja Marne Gang brutally attacked an IT company employee in broad daylight at a busy intersection in Kothrud on Wednesday.
According to deputy commissioner of police (DCP) Sambhaji Kadam, the altercation began at Bhelkenagar Chowk over a trivial issue. A heated exchange soon turned into a physical attack when four individuals, including the three gang members, stopped the IT employee and assaulted him.
Based on CCTV footage, Kothrud police arrested the three accused. The detained individuals have been identified as Amol Vinayak Tapkir, Om Teerthram Dharma Jigyasu and Kiran Kondiba Padwal.
A complaint was lodged by the victim, identified as Devendra Jog, 33, a resident of Kothrud.
As per the police investigation, at around 4 pm Jog was on his two-wheeler in the area. After completing his work, he passed through Bhelkenagar Chowk at approximately 4:30 pm he was heading towards Gujarat Colony. Due to a Shiv Jayanti procession, and crowd on the road, he momentarily stopped his vehicle.
At this point, a man wearing a white shirt confronted him, saying, “Can’t you ride your bike properly? Jog replied that he had not hit anyone. However, before he could finish his sentence, another man wearing a yellow shirt slapped him hard across the face, causing his nose to bleed. The impact caused him to fall off his two-wheeler, resulting in minor injuries.
Soon, three to four individuals began kicking and punching him. One of them removed his belt and struck him, inflicting further injuries. After the assault, the attackers fled towards Gujarat Colony on their two-wheelers.
Upon receiving information about the crime, senior police officials rushed to the scene.
A case has been registered at Kothrud police station under sections 109 and 111 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. While three of the accused have been arrested, one remains absconding. All the accused are currently out on bail. Around eight to nine months ago, they had been arrested in a case under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA).
It was speculated that the victim is working as a part of the social media team of Union Minister Murlidhar Mohol. Mohol clarified that the victim was not working in his office. “The victim is not working in my office, but he is a BJP worker. We will not tolerate such incidents. Police need to take action accordingly.’’
