Accomplices of a criminal, detained under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MACOCA) for involvement in a Koyta Gang-related crime, celebrated his birthday by cutting a cake decorated with his photo and a replica of Yerwada Jail, using a sword, official informed on Friday.
A surge in incidents, including minors, terrorising people with koytas, particularly in Pune's outskirts, has been reported. The so-called 'koyta gangs' have been involved in bullying individuals with billhooks, prompting Pune Police to mandate shopkeepers to record Aadhaar card details for koyta purchases since February 2023.
Meanwhile, Chaturshringi Police have registered cases against 10 to 15 individuals under Indian Arms Act and detained five for attempting to create terror with swords.
In this instance, Sridhar Vishwas Shirke (44), a police constable at Chaturshringi police station, filed a case against accused individuals, including Om Burud, Aniket Katurde, Yuvraj Borade, Aniket Dhotre, Vishal Ratkar, and eight to ten others. They celebrated the birthday of Shubham Shirkar, an accused under MACOCA, incarcerated for a Koyta gang-related offence.
A video depicting youths gathering in a public space and using swords to cut a cake replica of Yerwada Jail circulated on social media. Despite a police order prohibiting the possession of sticks, stones, weapons, fireworks, and explosives, the accused disregarded this directive.
Assistant Police Inspector S Patil of Chaturshringi Police Station is conducting a thorough investigation into this matter.
