Pune Crime News: A youth vandalised a shop in Pune’s Viman Nagar after the owner asked him to pay for a cigarette on Wednesday night. A video of the incident has been widely shared online. The footage shows a group of five to six youths arriving at the shop around 8:30 pm. They asked for cigarettes. When the shopkeeper requested payment, one member of the group pulled out a koyta and damaged the shop. Items were thrown around, and the shopkeeper was left shaken.
Govind Jadhav, senior police inspector at the Viman Nagar police station, told The Free Press Journal that the attack took place near Rose Garden. He said all four accused have been identified and arrested. Three of them are minors. Both the accused and the shopkeeper live in the same SRA colony in Viman Nagar. Jadhav said the dispute began when the group demanded free cigarettes. He added that all accused are in custody and the investigation is underway.
In another case, CCTV footage from Tipu Sultan Chowk in Fursungi shows a different koyta gang creating chaos. The group carried koytas and stones. They damaged 20 to 25 vehicles, including cars, autorickshaws and two-wheelers. No one in the area tried to stop them due to fear.
In recent months, Pune Police took strict action under the MCOCA law against several gangs, including the Andekar gang, Marne gang, Ghaywal gang and Tipu Pathan gang. Many members are now in different jails. People believed the fear of organised crime had reduced. But new groups armed with sharp weapons are again spreading fear, and ordinary citizens are becoming targets.