Hammer-wielding man on smashing spree in Pune

PUNE: Tension prevailed in Bibvewadi after a 25-year-old man went on the rampage damaging three shops, two stalls and two cars with a hammer on Swami Vivekanand Road in Bibvewadi off Pune-Satara highway on Tuesday.
The shops that were attacked include Parshwanath Enterprises, Pranik Marketing and Mast Kalandar Hotel. CCTV cameras from the shops have captured his violent act.
Police inspector Sudam Pachorkar (crime) of Market Yard police station, who is investigating the case, said the main suspect Ganesh alias Ganya Shinde of Premnagar and another accomplice are absconding. Shinde, a tea stall owner, operated outside the Pushamangal marriage hall.
Kirtiraj Dugad, who owns the marriage hall, registered a complaint against Shinde and his accomplices.
Police have arrested Mahesh Waghmare of Ghorpade Peth, Ashish Dhondiba Bhondwe of Dhankawdi and Sanjay Ambadas Bhat of Upper Indiranagar slums in Bibvewadi, and detained a 16-year-old boy for helping Shinde.
Pachorkar said all five had allegedly robbed Rs 1,150 from the cash box of tea stall vendor Dhaneshwar Sevak. "We have seized two motorcycles used in the crime and charged the suspects for allegedly rioting, dacoity and damaging property under sections of the Indian Penal Code and Criminal Law Amendment," he added.
Senior inspector Sarjerao Babar, in-charge of the Market Yard police station, told TOI that Shinde, who was riding a motorcycle, stopped at the bus stop outside the hall. He damaged a tea stall, then a paan stall, two cars and then the three shops one after the other between 11.30am and 11.45am.
He fled before people could react. Police went to the spot after receiving information of the rampage from the police control room. Babar said an inspection revealed that Shinde had damaged the glass doors of the three shops and the wind shields of the cars. He also tried to attack a tea stall owner with the hammer, but missed. "We have recovered a hammer from the crime scene," he said.
SECOND STORY
Head: Complaint by residents may have spurred attack, say police
Assem Shaikh
Pune: Investigations indicate that Ganesh Shinde may have launched his attack on shops in Bibvewadi since he suspected that the residents were behind the police action against him.
Senior inspector Sarjerao Babar, in-charge of the Market Yard police station, told TOI that they had filed a case against Shinde five days ago for creating public nuisance under the Bombay Police Act.
Sunil Dugad of Parshwanath Enterprises said, "I ran out of my office after I heard someone breaking the glass door. I called up the police control room and police reached here instantly. I did not see the suspect. But people who had assembled at the spot did not dare nab him out of fear."
Dugad's employee Akshay Jagdane said, "Shinde damaged the counter slab, broke the door glass and a commode. We were afraid and could not react to the situation," he added. Rahul Renuse, employee of Pranik Enterprises, said, "I was at the delivery counter, when a man started breaking the door glass. He had a hammer."
Businessman Mandar Singh, who had visited the sub-registrar offices, Haveli number 2, on the premises of the marriage hall attempted to chase Shinde, but he fled on his motorcycle.
Tea stall owner Dhaneshwar Gautam Sevak said that Shinde attacked his stall while he was serving tea to customers. "I don't know why he damaged my stall," he added.
Lalan Yadav, employee of the paan shop said, "Shinde broke our counter platform and damaged other articles. We were so afraid that we fled the spot. When we returned, we found that our stall was completely damaged."
Rahul Thite, assistant manager of Mast Kalandar Hotel, said, "There were no customers in the hotel when Shinde broke the glass door. He has done this before on November 7, 2014 when he also damaged a liquor shop. We had informed the police."