Making Instagram reels while brandishing pistols on the Samruddhi Mahamarg proved costly for a group of youths in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar. Around 10 to 15 individuals created a reel featuring them holding pistols with a threatening song in the background near the Maliwada area on Samruddhi Mahamarg. The video went viral on social media. Upon discovering the video, city police swiftly took action, leading to the arrest of five suspects in the Jinsi area on Tuesday. The arrested individuals have been identified as Shaikh Hamid Shaikh Habib, Shaikh Aftab Shaikh Kadar (residents of Rengtipura), Adil Tambili Ejaz (Jinsi), and Sumit Subhash Avalkar (Sanjaynagar).
The suspects created the video to instil fear among the public. Once the video came to the attention of the police, DCP Prashant Swami and ACP Dhananjay Patil instructed crime branch officers to investigate the matter. Using technical evidence gathered during the investigation, the police traced the suspects to the Jinsi and nearby areas. The police team, including Parbat Mhaske, Vijay Bhanuse, Manohar Giite, Santosh Bhanuse, Dnyaneshwar Pawar, and others, commenced a search operation on Monday night and apprehended five individuals.
The video featured around 16 youths, including the main suspects Hamid and Aftab, who parked their vehicles in the middle of the road to film the video with pistols in hand, walking to the tune of a song playing in the background. Hamid, a known criminal, has previous charges filed against him at City Chowk, Kranti Chowk, Cidco, and Daulatabad police stations.
The trend of creating reels has been increasing among youngsters, often leading them to engage in dangerous stunts for more views. Recently, a girl died in the Sulibhanjan area while making a reel in a car, and several youths were caught making reels atop a mountain in Ellora. Groups of youngsters frequenting secluded places in the city, such as Connaught Place, Deogiri Fort, Aurangpura, Nirala Bazar, Azad College, University, Buddha Leni, Solapur–Dhule Highway, Samruddhi Mahamarg, and other locations for making reels, has become a common sight.
