Pune Crime Branch Arrests Absconding Ghaywal Gang Member in Rajasthan After 9-Month Manhunt

Reported by Mubarak Ansari
Pune, 4th June 2026: In a major breakthrough against organized crime syndicates in the city, the Pune City Police Crime Branch (Unit 3) has arrested Sachin Bansilal Ghaywal (48), a key member of the notorious Ghaywal gang. Sachin Ghaywal, who had been on the run for the last nine months, was apprehended in Dhingpur village, Sikar district, Rajasthan, where he was hiding under a disguised identity and appearance.

The Pune Crime Branch tracked the fugitive through advanced technical analysis and confidential field intelligence. He was brought back to Pune and produced before the Shivaji Nagar District and Sessions Court on Thursday, June 4, 2026. The court has remanded him to police custody to allow for deeper interrogation into his financial transactions, gang operations, and organized criminal network.

Fugitive for 9 Months and Wanted Under MCOCA
Sachin Ghaywal, a resident of Sant Dnyaneshwar Colony, near Ashish Garden, Shastrinagar, Kothrud, Pune, is wanted in connection with Crime Register (CR) No. 250/2025 registered at Kothrud Police Station. He has been booked under various stringent sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) including:
Section 109 (Abetment)
Section 351 (Criminal Intimidation)
Section 352 (Intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace)
Section 189(1), 189(2), 189(4) (Extortion and related offenses)
Section 190 (Joining assembly armed with deadly weapon)
Section 191(2) (Rioting)
Section 111(1), 111(2), 111(3), 111(6), 111(7) (Organized Crime)
Section 61(2) (Criminal Conspiracy)
Section 49 and Section 3(5) (Common Intention)
Additionally, charges have been pressed under:
Section 3(25) of the Indian Arms Act
Sections 37(1)(3) read with 135 and 142 of the Maharashtra Police Act
Sections 3 and 7 of the Criminal Law Amendment Act
Sections 3(1)(ii), 3(2), 3(4), 3(5), and 4 of the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA), 1999
Ghaywal was wanted in connection with five serious MCOCA-registered cases and had been officially declared a “proclaimed offender” (फरार घोषित) by the court after evading arrest for three-quarters of a year.

The Secret Hideout in Sikar, Rajasthan
Under the directive of Pune City Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar to track down and produce all wanted absconding criminals, Crime Branch Unit 3 initiated a targeted manhunt. Police Constable Atul Sathe conducted a detailed technical analysis of the suspect’s potential movements. Combined with confidential informants, the team established that Ghaywal was hiding out in Dhingpur, Sikar district, Rajasthan.

Acting swiftly, a team led by Police Inspector Prashant Annachhatre of Unit 3 completed all legal formalities and departed for Rajasthan.

Coordinating with the local Rajasthan Police in Sikar, the Pune Crime Branch team located Ghaywal living in a rented house in Dhingpur. He had reportedly altered his usual style of attire and tried to mask his identity to avoid suspicion. On June 3, 2026, the joint police team raided the premises and successfully took Ghaywal into custody. He was immediately transported back to Pune.

Police Leadership and Team Execution
The high-profile operation was executed under the direct leadership and guidance of senior police officials:
Amitesh Kumar, Commissioner of Police (CP), Pune City
Sanjay Darade, Joint Commissioner of Police (Joint CP), Pune City
Tejaswi Satpute, Additional Commissioner of Police (Addl. CP, Crime)
Gauhar Hasan, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP, Crime)
Shailesh Shankhe, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP, Crime 1), who is also leading the investigation into the case.

The on-ground execution team of Crime Branch Unit 3, operating under the instructions of Police Inspector Prashant Annachhatre, included:
Assistant Police Inspector (API) Dnyaneshwar Dhawale, police personnel Pandharinath Shinde, Archana Waghmare, Maruti Pardhi, Atul Sathe (whose technical analysis was instrumental in generating the lead), Nitin Jagdale, Amol Katkar, Sandip Shelke, Anushka Jagdale, Yogesh Zende, and Shubham Wagasakar.

Interrogations are currently underway to trace Ghaywal’s links with local political entities, examine his financial transactions, and crack down further on the syndicate’s illegal extortion rackets in the Kothrud and broader Pune region.