Pune: In a significant crackdown on organised crime, Police Commissioner Ritesh Kumar has invoked the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) against Pappu alias Praveen Anantha Yenpure and his four associates. The gang is accused of brutally assaulting a youth near the Jagade flour mill at Ambegaon Khurd, instilling fear in the area.
The incident, which occurred on December 10, involved the gang abusing and physically assaulting a young man with stones and kicks. The victim was also threatened with dire consequences if he reported the incident to the police. In response to this heinous act, Commissioner Ritesh Kumar has so far booked 113 organised crime gangs under the MCOCA Act.
A case has been registered at Bharti Vidyapeeth Police Station under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Criminal Law Amendment Act. The arrested individuals include Ganesh Tamaram Jadhav, Aniket alias Gaurav Shivaji Shendkar, Yash Balu Mhaswade, and Ajay Sadashiv Renuse. However, the gang leader, Pappu, alias Pravin Anantha Yenpure, remains at large, prompting an intense search by the police.
Yenpure, known for orchestrating crimes with different accomplices, has a history of serious offences such as robbery, attempted murder, rioting, causing harm, fighting, illegal possession of dangerous weapons, and terrorising. Despite previous preventive actions, his criminal activities continued unabated.
In a proactive move, a proposal to include the provisions of the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act, 1999, was submitted to the Additional Commissioner of Police Pravin Kumar Patil. Following careful scrutiny, the Additional Commissioner of Police approved the inclusion of the offence under MCOCA. Assistant Commissioner of Police, Swargate Division, Narayan Shirgaonkar, is overseeing the ongoing investigation.
The operation, executed by a team led by Inspector Kuldeep Bhatkar and supported by Assistant Police Faujdar Chandrakant Mane, Police Constables Narendra Mahangere, Vishal Warule, and Swapnil Bandal, was carried out under the guidance of Commissioner of Police Ritesh Kumar and other high-ranking officials.
