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Journalism of Courage
The Pune City police on Tuesday arrested notorious gangster Rupesh Marne, the henchman of the Gajanan alias Gaja Marne gang, in connection with the attack on IT engineer Devendra Jog in February. Rupesh, 41, had been on the run for eight months.
Jog, a supporter of MP and Union Minister of State Murlidhar Mohol, was attacked on February 19 during a Shiv Jayanti procession at Bhelke Nagar in Kothrud. Rupesh, who had been named as an accused in the case, had been absconding since.
Police officials said that Rupesh was caught in the Mulshi area by a team from Kothrud police station and was being handed over to the Crime Branch, which is investigating the attack on Jog. Rupesh, who has multiple serious offences registered against him, including murder, land grabbing and extortion, will be produced in the court later, where his custodial remand will be sought, officials added.
Jog, 33, who had required hospitalisation after his attack, had said in his complaint that he had gone to the Bhelke Nagar area in Kothrud on his two-wheeler on Wednesday. Later, while riding towards Gujrat Colony, he came across a procession marking the birth anniversary of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. While he was passing through the procession, Marne gang members allegedly intercepted him and blamed him for colliding with them. They then allegedly brutally thrashed him, attacked him with a belt, and kicked and punched him till he started bleeding profusely.
The police have invoked the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act against Gajanan, who is currently in prison, and his gang. Within days of the attack, the police arrested the accused and later arrested Marne himself. During Gajanan’s custodial hearing, the police had told the court, “The accused (Gaja Marne) is a notorious criminal and has perpetrated the brutal attack on the victim at a public place with an intention to murder him. Accused Gaja Marne and wanted accused Rupesh Marne have instigated the assailants to attack the victim.”
However, Jog later filed an affidavit in court stating that the attack on him was not provoked by anyone. The police have refuted this claim.
Meanwhile, earlier in May, an assistant police inspector and four constables were suspended from active duty in connection with an incident in which Gajanan was allegedly served biryani during his transit between prisons after his arrest in the case.
