PUNE: The crime branch unit 1 on September 2 arrested two known criminals from Somwar Peth for allegedly supplying firearms to the Andekar gang, which was reportedly planning to avenge the murder of gangster Bandu Andekar’s son and former corporator, Vanraj Andekar. The alleged plot to carry out a revenge killing on the first death anniversary of Vanraj Andekar on September 1 came to light after the detention of Andekar gang associate, Datta Balu Kale, 24, on the night of August 31.
The arrested accused – identified as Taleem Aas Mohammad Khan alias Arif, 24, a resident of Loni Kalbhor; and Yunus Jaleel Khan, 24, a resident of Sayyadnagar, Hadapsar – are both known offenders with multiple criminal cases registered against them, crime branch officials said. Taleem allegedly sources country-made pistols from Madhya Pradesh (MP) and supplies them to gang members in Pune. The police have seized one country-made pistol and two live cartridges from Taleem. A case has been registered at Samarth police station based on a complaint filed by police constable Aniket Babar.
Investigations have revealed that Taleem was in contact with Aman Pathan from the Andekar gang over phone. The gang was reportedly planning to target the close associates of Somnath Gaikwad, one of the prime accused in the murder of Vanraj Andekar. Gaikwad and his accomplices including Aniket Dudhbhate, stay in the Ambegaon Pathar area which was surveyed by the Andekar gang as part of the alleged revenge plan.
During a routine Ganeshotsav security check, a team from crime branch unit 1 received a tipoff that two known members of a Hadapsar-based gang were standing near Samarth Vyayam Shala in Somwar Peth with firearms on their person. Acting on the information, a police team led by police senior inspector (PSI) Rahul Makhare and constable Aniket Babar hemmed in the suspects and apprehended them. A search revealed one country-made pistol and two live cartridges in their possession.
{{/usCountry}}During a routine Ganeshotsav security check, a team from crime branch unit 1 received a tipoff that two known members of a Hadapsar-based gang were standing near Samarth Vyayam Shala in Somwar Peth with firearms on their person. Acting on the information, a police team led by police senior inspector (PSI) Rahul Makhare and constable Aniket Babar hemmed in the suspects and apprehended them. A search revealed one country-made pistol and two live cartridges in their possession.
{{/usCountry}}There has been a longstanding rivalry between the Bandu Andekar gang and the Somnath Gaikwad gang in Pune. In 2023, members of the Andekar gang attacked members of the Gaikwad gang, Shubham Dahibhate and Nikhil Akhade, resulting in Nikhil Akhade’s death. Ever since, the Gaikwad gang had been planning to avenge Akhade’s killing. Finally, the Gaikwad gang on September 1, 2024 shot and hacked Vanraj Andekar with sharp weapons in the Doke Talim area. The daylight murder sent shockwaves through the city. As the first anniversary of Vanraj Andekar’s murder approached, tensions began simmering in the criminal world with speculation of a retaliatory game being planned. In the Vanraj Andekar murder case, Somnath Gaikwad, the prime accused, and 23 others were arrested and booked under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA).
The Pune police in their chargesheet submitted before the court on Feb 14, 2025 stated that Vanraj Andekar’s murder was the fallout of: a property dispute with his sister and prime accused Sanjeevani Komkar and the murder of a relative of Dudhbhate, Gaikwad gang member. A total 21 accused including Sanjeevani’s husband Jayant Komkar and brother-in-law Prakash Komkar were arrested and are currently lodged in Yerawada jail.