Pune: The Pune Crime Branch has arrested three wanted accused involved in a murder conspiracy and illegal possession of firearms. The operation was carried out jointly by the Anti-Extortion Cell (Unit 2), Crime Branch Unit 2, and Unit 5.
Police said a case was registered at Kondhwa Police Station under sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Arms Act, and the Maharashtra Police Act. The accused are linked to the Shekapure gang and had allegedly planned to kill a member of the rival Umap gang.
During the investigation, police found that the accused had procured a country-made pistol and was coordinating the attack. Acting on a tip-off, the Anti-Extortion Cell Unit 2 first apprehended three accused with firearms on March 13, 2026.
The main accused, Amit Mallikarjun Shekapure, had been absconding since then. On April 2, 2026, police constable Azad Patil received specific information about his location. Following instructions from Police Inspector Ram Rajmane, a trap was laid, and he was arrested near Vrindavan Ice Cream.
In another operation on the same day, Crime Branch Unit 5 arrested Nikhil Dnyanoba Lagade (23), a resident of Gultekdi. He was nabbed after police received intelligence about his presence in the area and acted under the guidance of Inspector Sandipan Pawar.
On April 3, Crime Branch Unit 2 arrested another absconding accused, Anwar alias Jamba Shakir Sheikh (23), from an industrial slum area in Gultekdi. He was also wanted in a separate case registered at Swargate Police Station.
Police said with these arrests, all key accused involved in the murder conspiracy have now been taken into custody. Officials termed the operation a major success, as all three were arrested within two days through coordinated action by multiple Crime Branch units.
Further investigation into the case is underway.
