A mobile shop owner sustained serious injuries after being attacked with koytas by a group of eight to ten assailants in Pune's Kothrud area on Tuesday evening, in yet another incident of a violent gang assault reported in the city. The victim, identified as Amit Shinde, is undergoing treatment at a hospital. The entire attack was captured on CCTV cameras installed in the vicinity.
According to police, Amit Shinde was employed at a mobile phone shop in Kothrud. At around 7pm on Tuesday, he was standing outside the shop when a group of eight to ten men allegedly arrived and launched a sudden assault on him with koytas.
Shinde suffered two severe blows to his head and collapsed in a pool of blood before the attackers fled the spot. Police are examining the CCTV footage to identify and trace the accused.
According to sources, the attack may have been carried out in retaliation for a complaint Shinde had filed months ago against an alleged criminal gang run by fugitive gangster Nilesh Ghaywal.
Police are verifying whether the attackers are associates of Ghaywal, an alleged gangster wanted in multiple criminal cases, and suspect the assault may have been ordered as retaliation for Shinde approaching the police against the gang.
Police are probing the motive behind the attack and are trying to ascertain whether it stemmed from previous enmity or any other dispute. Further investigation is underway.
