Pimpri Chinchwad Police's Crime Branch Unit-2 has arrestedthe perpetrator responsible for firing shots in the Warje locality on May 7, immediately following the conclusion of polling for the Baramati Parliamentary Constituency. The authorities have also confiscated the firearm utilized in the incident.
The arrested suspect has been recognized as Siddappa Yelsangekar, aged 35, hailing from Yelsangi, District Aland, Gulbarga, Karnataka. Police Constable Hemkant Pawar has lodged a complaint at Malwadi Police Station in Warje concerning this matter.
Some part of Warje falls in the Baramati Lok Sabha constituency. Hence the voting for the Baramati Lok Sabha was held on Tuesday. The voting process was completed in a peaceful process however three persons riding on a two-wheeler approached the Shakti Chowk in Ramnagar in the Warje area around 11 pm fired bullets in the air and fled towards Katraj. The firing incident created an atmosphere of terror in the Warje neighbourhood.
The Pune police control room received the information about the incident and a police team rushed to the spot. The Police initiated an investigation and detained two minors in no time. However, the accused was at large. As the crime scene was far away from the polling station the police claimed that the firing had no connection with ongoing elections.
The Pune City Police informed the Pimpri Chinchwad police. The Crime Branch Unit-2 of the Pimpri Chinchwad police received a tip-off regarding an unknown person carrying a pistol near Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Chowk on Wednesday night. Accordingly, Jitendra Kadam of the Crime Branch Police Inspector and his team laid a trap and arrested the accused Siddappa when he was busy consuming alcohol in Pimpri.
The police seized a pistol from the possession of Siddappa. While further interrogation Siddappa confessed to his involvement in the Warje firing incident. Further investigation revealed that the accused Siddappa along with his two minor accomplices opened fire at Warje. As per the police, Siddappa had come to Pimpri to take asylum and hide from the police.
Siddappa is an on-record criminal and was involved in two murder cases in Yelasangi police station in Gulbarga district. A case has been registered against Siddappa in the Pimpri police station for illegal possession of firearms.