Pune, which is known to be the cultural and educational capital of the state, is gaining a new identity due to the increasing crime rate involving sharp weapons and firearms. While the Shewalwadi firing incident, where an ex-serviceman was injured in a firing caused due to business rivalry, is still fresh, another incident of the use of firearms by criminals was reported from the early morning on Thursday from the Bhumkar Chowk area near Sinhagad Road.
According to the police, the incident occurred at around 2:30 AM on April 18, where a demand for a matchbox to light a cigarette led to a dispute, resulting in the firing. The victim Ganesh Gaikwad (resident of Narhe) was injured in the firing. Preliminary investigations revealed that Ganesh had come to Chaitanya Bar near Navle Bridge to buy liquor at around 1:00 AM, while the accused and his friends were standing outside the bar.
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Ganesh casually asked the accused for a matchbox which enraged the accused resulting in a dispute that escalated to the firing of bullets. The accused took out his pistol and fired a shot at Ganesh which pierced his shoulder. Later Ganesh was rushed to the nearby hospital for treatment. The police rushed to the spot upon receiving the information about the crime. The process of registering an FIR is underway while the police have yet to determine the identity of the accused. Further investigation is ongoing.
The firing spree in Pune has raised safety concerns among the citizens, while the surge in the crime rate is indicating the changing face of the city. Earlier, Commissioner of Pune Police Amitesh Kumar paraded the criminals booked in the case of possession of pistols and guns in the Police Commissionerate compound. More than 100 on-record criminals were summoned to the Commissionerate and given warnings by the police. But considering the rise in the use of weapons and firearms in crimes, it indicates that the act did not seem to work for the goons.
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Three firing incidents were reported from Pune in the past three days. On Wednesday, an ex-serviceman was shot and injured in Hadapsar, while on Tuesday afternoon, two unknown men dressed as delivery boys approached on a bike at Jangli Maharaj Road and attempted to fire at a builder. The builder survived as the pistol misfired while the accused fled the scene.