A man assaulted a vendor and his wife for refusing to pay "hafta" in Pune. The place was allegedly encroached by the accused and given to the victims. The victims were brutally injured in the attack with bamboo sticks.
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The incident occurred on September 19 between 4:30 pm and 5:00 pm in front of Ajanta Electronics near Jogeshwari Temple Lane, Budhwar Peth.
The accused have been identified as Rohit Naik, Chetan Asabe, Adarsh Asabe, Aniket Pawar, Himanshu Chayal and Nilesh Dhumal.
According to the police, victim Mayur Hanumant Awale (30), a resident of Dhankawadi Gaothan, and his wife were selling religious seating mats at the spot and were paying the accused ₹300 per day. The accused asked them to increase the "hafta". However, after learning that the stall operated by him was illegal, the victims refused to pay.
Angered, the accused men arrived carrying sticks and started beating them. The accused allegedly demanded higher "hafta" for the business spot and, when refused, assaulted Awale and his wife with bamboo, fists, and kicks. Awale sustained injuries to his back, arms, legs, and head, while his wife was injured on her forehead.
Senior Police Inspector Vijaymala Pawar of Vishrambag Police Station, speaking to The Free Press Journal, said, "One of the accused has been arrested and others are on the run after the attack. However, they will soon be behind bars. The dispute arose over the rent of the stall. Furthermore, the matter is under investigation."
Regarding the matter, a case has been registered under Sections 118(1), 189(2), 189(3), 191(2), 190, 351(2), 352 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) 2023, along with Section 37(1)(3) read with 135 of the Maharashtra Police Act.
