According to locals, the drama went on for about 20 minutes before marshals from the Bharati Vidyapeeth Police Station reached the spot, chased the duo and beat them up with lathis.(Screengrab/Express sourced) After multiple incidents of miscreants attacking and terrorising people with sharp machetes also known as koytas were reported in Pune, the Crime Branch of Police Tuesday said it will take stringent action against these criminal groups – known locally as koyta gangs. The issue was raised by Opposition leader Ajit Pawar in the Assembly recently.
Over the last few weeks, multiple incidents have been reported in Pune and its outskirts including in areas like Manjari, Bhekrai Nagar, Ambegaon Budruk, and Nana Peth in which gangs of miscreants, most of them youths, have terrorised people using sharp machetes. These gangs have gone on a rampage, vandalised properties and attacked people.
When contacted, additional commissioner of police (crime) Ramnath Pokale said: “We are keeping a close watch on the activities of these gangs and arrests have already been made in all these cases. Stringent action against them under MPDA or MCOCA laws is in the pipeline. We are also forming a policy to tackle this menace.”
A senior officer from the Pune city police’s crime branch said, “Modus operandi of terrorising people in the area, especially people from rival groups, has been used in the past too. Stringent action has been taken from time to time against these gangs. Provisions including those under Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) and Maharashtra Prevention of Dangerous Activities or MPDA Act have been used in the past.”
Notably, NCP leader Ajit Pawar recently said in the Maharashtra Assembly: “In the name of koyta gangs, miscreants go on rampage brandishing machetes and terrorising people. They are robbing women of their jewellery, damaging vehicles, entering shops and refusing to pay bills. They are trying to establish dominance in this area through terror. Locals are now starting to believe that these gangs enjoy tacit support from the police. I demand that a special police team should be formed and strict action be taken against koyta gangs.”
In one such incident in Ambegaon Budruk, videos of which were circulated on social media, two men were seen brandishing machetes and indiscriminately assaulting people near Sinhagad Law College. The attackers also entered shops and demolished roadside stalls as people fled in terror. The police subsequently reached the spot and arrested the miscreants.
In the latest incident, a gang of miscreants went on a rampage in Nana Peth area in the early hours of January 1. The police have arrested five persons and launched a search for four more suspects in the case.