According to police records, Jagtap had two cases of murder registered against him, including a case in which two persons were killed, and was out on bail. PUNE CITY Police has invoked the stringent provisions of the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) against the Adlinge gang, which is allegedly responsible for the killing of sand trader and gangster Santosh Jagtap in a shootout in October, which left two other persons also dead, in Uruli Kanchan.
The gang is led by Mahadev Adlinge (28), a history sheeter with cases of murder and attempt to murder registered against him.
On October 22, gangster and sand trader Jagtap (35) and Swagat Bapu Khaire (25), member of Adlinge gang, were killed after shots were fired from both sides at an eatery in Uruli Kanchan. Two of Jagtap’s bodyguards had also sustained bullet injuries in the crossfire. One of them, Monu Singh, later succumbed to his injuries.
Within days of the shootout, Pune City Police arrested Adlinge and Pavan Misal (29), a crushed-stone supplier. Misal has two cases under Arms Act registered against him. Few days later, police arrested the alleged mastermind of the attack, Umesh Sopan Sonavane (34). Probe revealed that the gunfight was a fallout of a rivalry between the two gangs for supremacy over sand mining business and other related activities. Police made three more arrests in the case in the following days.
According to police records, Jagtap had two cases of murder registered against him, including a case in which two persons were killed, and was out on bail. Khaire, too, was an accused in a murder case.
Senior inspector Rajendra Mokashi said, “Our investigation has revealed that Adlinge leads a criminal gang in Loni Kalbhor and surrounding areas. He and his associates are involved in several serious cases, including murder, attempt to murder, murder conspiracy, possession of weapons, property grabbing etc. There are a total 15 offences against these people in Pune City, Pune Rural, Pimpri-Chinchwad, Solapur and Osmanabad areas. Thus, a proposal was submitted to invoke provisions of the MCOCA against this gang.”
After the scrutiny of the proposal, Additional Commissioner of Police Namdeo Chavan approved invoking the MCOCA against the gang led by Adlinge.
This is the 60th instance of MCOCA being invoked against criminal gangs since Amitabh Gupta took over as the police commissioner of Pune City in September 2020.
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