Pune Police Arrest Four Who Extorted Rs 25,000 for Birthday Celebration
Pune, 3rd March 2026: The Bundgarden Police Station’s Detection Branch (DB) has arrested four men for allegedly assaulting and extorting money from a passenger inside an auto-rickshaw. The accused reportedly committed the crime to extort funds to celebrate a birthday.
According to the official press note issued by the Pune City Police, the incident came to light when a resident of Jahangirpur village (Baniapur, Saran district, Bihar) filed a complaint. The complainant stated that his friend was traveling in an auto-rickshaw when four unidentified individuals physically assaulted him and issued death threats. The accused then forced the victim’s wife to transfer ₹25,000 online.
Following the complaint, a First Information Report (FIR No. 40/2026) was registered at the Bundgarden Police Station under sections 308(5) and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Under the guidance of Senior Police Inspector Santosh Pandhare, the investigation team utilized technical intelligence and CCTV footage to track the suspects. The trail led them to the Gultekdi area in Pune.
On February 25, police detained two suspects: Ganesh Anna Jagdhane (29) and Amol Uttam Gaikwad (32), both residents of Dias Plot Canal, Gultekdi.
During intense interrogation, the duo confessed to the crime. Based on their statements regarding their accomplices, the police made two more arrests on February 27: Atul Ravindra Gaikwad (38) and Santosh Radhakishan Sarode (31), both residents of Dias Plot Canal, Gultekdi.
The police have seized the auto-rickshaw used during the commission of the crime and have successfully recovered ₹10,000 of the extorted cash. Further investigation into the matter is currently ongoing.
The action was executed under the direction of Additional Commissioner of Police (East Region) Manoj Patil, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone 5) Rajalakshmi Shivankar, ACP (Lashkar Division) Sangita Alphonso Shinde, and Senior PI Santosh Pandhare.
The on-ground investigation team comprised Police Sub-Inspector Dhiraj Gupta and police personnel Pradip Shitole, Saras Salvi, Prakash Awhad, Mahesh Jadhav, Dnyaneshwar Bade, Manish Sankpal, Manoj Bhokare, Shivaji Sarak, and Dnyaneshwar Gaikwad.
