Indapur: IPS Sunil Phulari, Inspector General of Police (IG) of Kolhapur Range, has ordered action to be taken against notorious goon Raju Bhale and his gang under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act of 1999 (MCOCA). Bhale and his gang, active in the Indapur area, have recently been accused of a murder.
Pune Rural Police said that, in February 2025, a murder case was registered at the Walchand Nagar Police Station in the Indapur area. A person identified as Uttam Jalindhar Jadhav (age 34, resident of Khorochi) was murdered, reportedly by the Bhale Gang.
They murdered him because they suspected him of helping a rival gang. A total of 13 accused were determined in this case, with Bhale being the prime accused. All the members were part of his gang. Ten accused are currently in judicial custody, while three are absconding. IG Phulari has decided to charge them under MCOCA.
The accused being charged under the MCOCA Act are Rajendra aka Raju Mahadev Bhale (age 30), Ramdas Bhale (age 26), Shubham Atole (age 19), Swapnil Waghmode (age 25), Nana Bhale (age 28), Niranjan Pawar (age 27), Tukaram Kharat (age 30), Jija Patole (age 30), Ashok Yadav (age 30), and Dhanaji Masugade (age 38).
All these accused are based in the Indapur Taluka area. They are notorious history-sheeters. Cases of illegal weapon possession, attacks with sharp weapons to kill or instill terror, dacoity, attempted murder, robbery, extortion, and illegal gatherings are all registered with the Pune and Solapur rural police forces.
Taking note of this, IG Phulari decided to charge them all under MCOCA after Pune Rural Superintendent of Police Sandeep Singh Gill proposed it.
Legal experts said that the Bhale gang being charged under MCOCA is a stringent opposition to crime by Pune Rural Police. When charged under MCOCA, getting bail is very difficult, punishments are harsher, and accused are often tried in Special Courts and Trials, among other measures.
The action was conducted under the guidance of Pune Rural SP Sandeep Singh Gill, Additional SP Ganesh Biradar, and Sub-Divisional Officer Sudarshan Rathod.
