In an apparent effort to terrorise people, some unidentified hoodlums went on a rampage in three different areas of Pune, vandalising at least 50 vehicles, including cars, autorickshas, tempos and two-wheelers in three separate incidents that took place from Friday night to Sunday morning.
The incidents have taken the police by unawares and left the affected Punekars shell-shocked. The police have registered cases against some unidentified persons made a few arrests and are trying to ascertain if the three incidents are inter-linked.
In Pune’s Sahakar Nagar locality which bore the maximum brunt, saw hoodlums— armed with some sickles, iron rods and sticks targetted and damaged at least 30 vehicles at around 2 am on Sunday.
The miscreants went on a rampaging spree, smashing the glass panes and damaging vehicles indiscriminately parked on the road. In a few cases, the miscreants have deflated the tyres of vehicles. They also set ablaze damaged vehicles, including a car, auto rickshaw and bicycles and set them on fire.
In Pune’s neighbouring Pimpri-Chinchwad area, five to six unidentified gangsters vandalised at least 13 vehicles including autorickshaws, tempos and a four wheelers at Nigdi’s Ajanta Nagar locality at around 4 am on Sunday.
In a complaint lodged with the Nigdi police, an eyewitness Rajesh Popat Kamble — who was robbed of Rs 1,600 from his pocket—said that five to six miscreants had damaged at least 13 vehicles using iron rods, sickles and stones.
In the first incident that took place at Warje’s Sahyog Nagar locality in Pune at 10.30 pm on Friday, some goondas vandalised at least seven vehicles, including four two-wheelers, a school van and two auto rickshaws.
The Warje police have registered a case against seven persons and arrested persons in connection with the incident that took place on Friday night. The police are investigating the motive behind the incident.
The Sahakar Nagar police have detained some persons for questioning in connection with the incident that took place in the early hours of Sunday. Like in the earlier incident, the police have not established as yet as to what the motive behind the incident. Eyewitnesses have told the police that there were miscreants behind the incident.
No arrests have so far been made in connection with the incident that took place at Nigdi.
There have been similar incidents of vandalism in Pune in the recent past. On the night of June 12, 2019 some unidentified miscreants went on a rampage near Kamla Nehru Hospital area in Pune’s Mangalwar Peth area, damaging at least six vehicles including two-wheelers and four-wheelers. In another incident that took place on the night of October 10, 2019, six vehicles —four autorickshaws, a tempo and a car — were damaged by some unidentified miscreants in front of the office of a local corporator at Pune’s Ramtekdi locality coming under the Wanowrie police station.