Police said the teen was murdered with sharp weapons by the members of his rival gang in the Tukaram Nagar area. (File photo)A purported gang war between two groups that made reels for social media platforms led to the murder of a 19-year-old youth on Sunday and the attempted murder of a 15-year-old youth at the Talegaon Dabhade town in Pune district, said Pimpri Chinchwad police Wednesday.
According to the police, 19-year-old Pranav Dnyaneshwar Mandekar alias Jai was a second year B.Com student at a college in Talegaon Dabhade. He was murdered with sharp weapons by the members of his rival gang on the night of November 6 between 9.30 pm and 10.30 pm in the Tukaram Nagar area, the police said.
Less than an hour later, around 11 pm, a 15-year-old boy studying in Class X at a local school was attacked with sharp weapons. The teenager survived the attempt on his life as he jumped inside a gutter when the members of the rival gang were chasing him with sharp weapons in their hands. A police officer said Mandekar and the 15-year-old boy were a part of a local gang known as the ‘Sarkar Group’ while their rival gang has been identified as the ‘Baba Group’.
The officer added, “Both the gangs have close to 40 to 50 members each, all of them students, ex-students of some college or their friends. These gang members, aged 15 to 22 years, keep fighting among themselves.”
He added, “Around one and half month ago, members of the Sarkar Group beat up a member of the Baba Group and made a social media reel on it. In retaliation, the members of Baba Group attacked a member of the Sarkar Group and made a reel on it. This social media war led to the clash on the night of November 6.”
Inspector Nitin Landge, in-charge of Talegaon Dabhade police station, said, “We have till now arrested 11 youths aged above 18 years and have detained seven others who are minors.”
Another officer of the Pimpri Chinchwad police said, “Talegaon Dabhade and the surrounding areas form one of those regions of Pune district that has a history of criminal activities. The latest trend includes teenagers, school and college students indulging in criminal activities, which is very worrying. These youths have been influenced by some gangsters of Maharashtra and some from other parts of India, including the likes of Durlabh Kashyap, who have used the modus operandi of terrorising and threatening people through social media platforms. These groups and their activities are closely being monitored.”