Pune: Gang of six sandalwood thieves attacks beat marshals on patrol duty

An officer from Deccan Gymkhana police station said, “The two beat marshals saw two people standing outside a closed bungalow in a suspicious manner. The two cops started questioning them. When the two could not give satisfactory answers, the constables asked them to sit down so they could be questioned further. At this, four people jumped over the fence of the bungalow. They had sharp weapons and large saws in their hands suggesting they were sandalwood thieves. At this point, the constables asked the six persons to cooperate with them.”

The officer further said, “The suspects did not cooperate. When the constables tried to make them sit down, one of the suspects resisted and attacked Tambe with a sharp weapon. Tambe sustained an injury on the hand. As the suspects started fleeing on their bikes, Tambe opened fire at their bikes’ wheel with a service pistol in an attempt to stop them. The gang, however, managed to flee. The constables then informed senior officials and a manhunt was launched for the suspects.”

On Tuesday, Commissioner of Pune Police Amitesh Kumar met the two constables and feliciated them for their timely response and executing their tasks as beat marshals while facing six armed suspects.

Gangs of sandalwood thieves have targeted trees on the premises of several bungalows and even government establishments in the recent past.