In what the police termed as a road rage incident, members of the Nilesh Ghaiwal gang went on a rampage and opened fire at a 36-year-old person and attacked another 19-year-old youth in Kothrud on Wednesday night.
Police identified the victims as Prakash Dhumal and Vaibhav Sathe. Based on their complaints, two separate First Information Reports (FIRs) were lodged at Kothrud police station on Thursday, against Mayur Kumbhare and his accomplices, all associated with a gang led by Nilesh Ghaiwal.
Five accused were arrested. They have been identified as Mayur Kumbhare, Mayank Vyas, Ganesh Raut, Dinesh Phatak And Anand Chadalekar.
Police said Dhumal (36) is a resident of Pimpri Chinchwad. He came to Pune city for a party with his colleagues. Later, he went to Kothrud. Around 11.30 pm on Wednesday, the accused persons were passing through the road near Shinde Chawl in Kothrud area and got into an argument with Dhumal for not providing space for their two-wheelers to pass, police said.
During the argument, Mayur Kumbhare allegedly fired three bullets at Dhumal from his country-made pistol. Dhumal was left injured at the spot, a few metres away from the Kothrud police station.
Within 15 minutes, the same group attacked a youngster, Vaibhav Sathe (19), near Sagar Colony in Kothrud, with sharp weapons. Sathe was left injured in the incident.
Police said the accused attacked Sathe “for no reason”. While attacking the victims, the accused allegedly said “amhi ithle bhai ahot” (we are the dons here)and tried to terrorise citizens in the area, police said.
After receiving information, the police teams reached the spot to investigate. Cops took the victims to a hospital for treatment.
Sambhaji Kadam, Deputy Commissioner of Police, said the condition of the victims is stable.
“The accused and the victims do not know each other. There were no previous rivalries between them. This appears to be a road rage incident where assailants, linked to the Nilesh Ghaiwal gang, attacked innocent citizens without any reason,” he added.
Senior police inspector Sandeep Deshmane of Kothrud Police sStation said five accused persons were detained and further investigation was on.
A probe was on to determine where the accused procured the firearms used in committing the crime, the police said. The accused have been booked on charges of attempt to murder under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and under sections of the Indian Arms Act. Some of the accused persons had previous criminal records and were booked under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) in the past.
Yogesh Kadam, Minister of State for Home, said he had asked the Commissioner of Pune City Police to take strong action against “gunda elements” so that nobody would dare commit such crimes again.
As per police records, Ghaiwal is a gangster from Pune city and is known for his rivalry with gangster Gajanan alias Gaja Marne of Kothrud. The firing, however, is unconnected to the rivalry, the police said.
The police identified the victim as Prakash Dhumal and said he was admitted to a hospital for treatment. 
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