05 February,2014 07:35 AM IST | | Salil Urunkar
Eight youths from a 60-strong mob were arrested after they chased and assaulted a 24-yr-old man and two others with swords and sticks over a minor argument that turned ugly
Brute force: After a brawl between two young men turned ugly on Monday night, one of the youths, along with his accomplices, chased the other to his house and assaulted him, also vandalising his property in the scuffle. Pic/Navnath Kaple
Hinjewadi police have apprehended eight youths on charges of rioting and assaulting two persons, including a woman, at Thergaon on Monday night.
Brute force: After a brawl between two young men turned ugly on Monday night, one of the youths, along with his accomplices, chased the other to his house and assaulted him, also vandalising his property in the scuffle. Pic/Navnath Kaple
Police said a 60-strong mob, armed with swords and sticks, chased Abhijit Shivaji Barne (24) and assaulted him after an earlier spat turned ugly.
The riot-like situation resulted in a tense atmosphere in nearby villages.
Mindless violence:The 60-strong mob, on its way back after the attack, damaged several two-wheelers parked in Bhardevasti. Pic/Navnath Kaple
The arrested accused have been identified as Amit Tukaram Konde (27), Vikrant Shantaram Bhapkar (20), Pradeep Baban Kulat (31), Hrishikesh Vinayak Wadghere (24), Nitin Ganpat Bhurde (21), Rohan Suresh Jadhav (19), Rohit Raghunath Pawar (18), Prashant Bhagwan Bhondwe (22) all from Thergaon.
Barne, a resident of Krantivirnagar in Thergaon, filed the complaint naming five accomplices of these arrested persons, along with 60 unknown persons, after which an FIR was registered.
According to the complaint, Barne and one of the accused Kiran Bhilare were involved in a brawl on Monday night over a petty issue. After the scuffle got out of hand, the accused- armed with swords and sticks - followed Barne to his house and assaulted him, his brother Amol and friend Ajay Bhosale. The accused then went on a rampage, damaging 10 two-wheelers at Bhardevasti.
Police Inspector Parshuram Patil said, "The complainant and the accused have past rivalry. We have arrested eight persons and have registered a case against the others. The arrested have been remanded to seven days police custody by the court. We will arrest the other accused soon."
When asked about the motive behind the violent disorder, PI Patil said, "Most of the youths in areas like Hinjewadi, Thergaon, Tathawade, Sus have got easy money from the land dealings due to real estate boom. This has resulted in disputes over petty issues between the groups."
