Close on the heels of the fatal shooting of a gym owner in Haryana during an outdoor workout on Thursday morning, a similar attack on a gym owner in Pune has come to light. It occurred on Wednesday night and the circumstances surrounding both incidents are eerily similar.
In both the cases, the assailants arrived on two-wheelers and fired from close range. While the Haryana assailants are still at large, Pune police detained three juveniles and a 21-year-old youth for allegedly attempting to murder the gym owner and trainer by opening fire on him and later attacking him with a machete in the Taljai area, officials said.
The 21-year-old has been identified as Aditya Thopte, a resident of Janata Vasahat. Police registered an attempt-to-murder case against him and the three juveniles at the Sahakarnagar police station.
The victim, Yogesh Banekar (34), a resident of Dhankawadi, narrowly escaped death after multiple shots were fired at him near Chitale Chowk.
According to the police, Banekar had closed his gym and was on his way home when he stopped to buy fruit at the chowk. At that moment, the four assailants arrived on two two-wheelers and allegedly opened fire on him. The first bullet grazed Banekar’s neck. As he ran for safety, the attackers chased him and fired two more rounds, both of which missed.
When the firing failed, one of the accused attacked Banekar with a machete, injuring his hand. The assailants then abandoned a scooter at the scene and fled.
Following the attack, teams from Parvati police launched a search operation. In a dramatic turn, one of the accused allegedly contacted the police and informed them of their location near Katraj Ghat. Acting on the tip-off, police traced and detained all four accused from a hotel near Khed Shivapur.
Police officers said that the accused, residents of Taljai Vasahat and Narhe, are habitual offenders. One of them had been evading the police for nearly three months in another case.
During questioning, they allegedly told police that they had procured two pistols from Uttar Pradesh. Preliminary investigations suggest the attack may have been motivated by a two-month-old dispute in Dhankawadi related to a minor two-wheeler collision. The accused claimed Banekar had assaulted them following the incident and that Wednesday’s attack was carried out in retaliation.
However, Banekar has denied any such dispute or assault, police said. Further investigation is underway to establish the exact motive behind the attack and the source of the illegal firearms.
