Significant rise in chain snatchings in Pune; murders fall by 15 percent

Amitesh Kumar, Commissioner of Pune City Police ensured a crackdown against chain snatchers in 2026. Kumar said murders in the city have reduced by 15 percent. A hundred murders were reported in 2021, 104 in 2022, 101 in 2023, 93 in 2024 and 79 in 2025. An average murder rate of 8.3 per month till 2024, reduced to 6.5 murders per month in 2025, police said. Attempts to murder cases also saw a decline, with 153 in 2025 as against 179 in 2024, 244 in 2023, 336 in 2022 and 296 in 2021.

Police said this year also saw a slight decline in rape and molestation cases, crimes in which women are targetted the most. Between January 1 and December 25, 2025, as many as 472 rape cases were registered in Pune city, as against 499 in 2024. However, it is higher compared to the 407 rape cases in 2023, 390 in 2022 and 283 in 201. Except the Swarage bus depot rape incident, the accused in all other rape cases in 2025 were persons known to the victims, police said.

Meanwhile, 836 molestation cases were registered in 2025, as against 844 in 2024, 775 in 2023, 547 in 2022 and 382 in 2021.

Rise in illegal firearms

Pune city police have this year seized 133 illegal firearms, as against 70 in 2024, 65 in 2023, 52 in 2022 and 30 in 2021. To curb the menace, police conducted a massive raid on the illegal firearms manufacturing units at the Umarti village in Madhya Pradesh, known to be a hub for country-made pistols.

In the year 2025, the Pune city police have cancelled 150 gun licences. Police said some gun licences holders had renewed it in the stipulated time. Also, an assessment revealed that some gun licence holders did not require it. Meanwhile, 23 new gun licences were issued in 2025.

Last year, the police had cancelled 111 gun licences and issued 67 anew. While, in 2023, over 185 new gun licences were issued and not a single was cancelled. Also, in 2022, as many as 279 new gun licences were issued, but none were cancelled.

104 illegal immigrants deported

Pune city police this year deported 104 foreigners found to be staying illegally in the court. They included 81 Bangladeshi nationals, three from African countries and 20 from other nations. In 2024, the city police deported 57 illegal immigrants, of whom one hailed from Bangladesh, 25 from African countries and 31 from other nations. Whereas in 2023, only 18 foreigners from different countries were deported by the Pune police.