2023 saw Pune committing 3 crimes which rocked the entire nation

In 2023, Pune was on the nation map on several occasions, primarily as a result of three significant crimes.

ISIS terror in Pune

Mohammed Shahnawaz Alam, also known as Shafi, alias Abdulla, of Jharkhand, Mohammed Yusuf Khan, 23, and Mohammed Yunus Mohammed Yakub Saki, 24, of Ratlam, Madhya Pradesh, were apprehended by a Pune city police team early on July 18. They were suspected of stealing a vehicle from the Kothrud area.

Alam is said to have escaped from police custody while they were being taken to a Kondhwa house search.

After an investigation, it was discovered that Saki and Khan were both considered “most wanted” by the NIA in connection with the March 2022 recovery of explosives from a car in Rajasthan.

Alam, Khan, and Saki were living in Kondhwa and posing as “graphic designers,” according to the police.

After taking up the investigation from Pune police, ATS detained several more people on suspicion of having ties to ISIS. On August 8, the investigation was turned over to the National Investigation Agency (NIA). It was dubbed the “Pune ISIS module case” by the agency. Shamil Nachan and his father Saqib Nachan, the main accused, were taken into custody by the NIA during additional investigation for allegedly running an ISIS module in Thane. Alam was taken into custody by the Delhi police in October.

In addition, the NIA detained a number of other individuals this year on suspicion of having ties to ISIS, mostly in Pune City and Padgha in rural Thane. The most well-known arrest occurred on July 26, 2023, when a 43-year-old anesthesiologist from Pune’s Kondhwa neighborhood, was taken into custody for a different crime known as the “Maharashtra ISIS module case.”

On July 3, the NIA also detained Zulfikar Ali Barodawala, doctor’s brother-in-law, in Padgha. Along with other ISIS terror suspects detained in Pune, Barodawala was accused by the NIA of having “organized and participated in bomb-making workshops,” prepared a demo IED, and carried out a “controlled explosion” at Kondhwa in 2022.

They were accused of conducting bomb tests in Pune’s jungles as well as other locations. They were found in possession of explosive materials, tents, a drone, and multiple electronic devices.

Lalit Patil escape

This incident rocked the city and brought up numerous concerns about the Sassoon Hospital staff and police apparatus.

September 30: One Subhash Mandal, valued at Rs 2.14 crore, was apprehended by the Pune city police from a location close to the Sassoon hospital with over 1.71 kg of mephedrone. The investigation found that Lalit Anil Patil, who was subsequently admitted to hospital ward number 16 for treatment of a “hernia,” was the source of the prohibited substance.

However, Lalit frequently succeeded in obtaining treatment admission to Sassoon Hospital. Following Mandal’s arrest, two iPhones were taken from Lalit by the police during a search of the hospital ward where he was being treated. On October 2, Lalit “fled” the hospital while the mephedrone seizure case was being investigated.

A large-scale search was conducted. On October 17, Mumbai police took Lalit into custody.

Several people connected to the alleged drug racket were arrested as a result of the Pune, Mumbai, and Nashik police’s investigation. Busted was a mephedrone factory in Nashik that was purportedly owned by Bhushan Patil, Lalit’s brother. An investigation found that Lalit and Lohare were purportedly operating the drug cartel out of Yerwada jail.

A hospital employee, a medical officer at Yerwada jail, and police officers on duty at Sassoon hospital were among those who were arrested for their involvement in Lalit’s escape.

The Pune police used the severe MCOCA against Lalit, Lohare, and the members of their gang.

DRDO scientist espionage case

The Maharashtra Anti Terrorism Squad (ATS) detained 49-year-old Pradeep Kurulkar on May 3 under sections of the Official Secrets Act related to spying and wrongful communication with a female Pakistani Intelligence Operative (PIO) posing as “Zara Dasgupta” in an alleged honey trap. Kurulkar oversaw the DRDO’s Research and Development Establishment (Engineers) – R & DE (E) laboratory.

On February 24, 2023, DRDO officials confiscated Kurulkar’s electronic devices, including his laptop, desktop hard discs, and cell phones, for forensic examination after learning of his purported contact with a PIO.

According to a DRDO investigation, Kurulkar shared private information with the PIO and maintained continuous communication with her via “WhatsApp messages, voice and video calls.”

Following the DRDO’s complaint to the state police, Kurulkar was taken into custody by the ATS. In this case, “Zara Dasgupta” was also listed by ATS as a wanted defendant.

The chargesheet against Kurulkar, which consists of six volumes and 1,835 pages, was submitted by ATS to the Pune special court on June 30. Kurulkar and “Zara” had WhatsApp conversations about a number of significant defense projects, including Brahmos, Agni 6, Rustom, Rafael, Akash, Astra missile, and others, according to the chargesheet.

In a conversation with Zara on October 28, 2022, Kurulkar promised to show her a highly classified report on the “Bramhos” missile, even though he knew it was classified material that shouldn’t be shared via email or WhatsApp, according to the chargesheet.

Rhishikesh Ganu, the defence lawyer, contended that the material Kurulakar is accused of sharing with a PIO was not “classified” or “incriminating,” but rather was freely accessible to the public.

Kurulkar remains in Yerwada jail after the Pune court denied his request for bail.