Pune, 7th July 2025: Several recent incidents in Pune have highlighted a disturbing rise in extortion attempts by known criminals targeting local businesses. Areas such as Sinhgad Road, Swargate, Camp (Lashkar), Warje, and Wagholi have seen growing complaints of gangsters demanding monthly payments, locally known as “hafta”, from entrepreneurs and small shopkeepers.
On Sinhgad Road, a businessman was attacked inside his office by two men identified as Dada More and Kiran Shinde. The duo allegedly brandished a firearm and assaulted him while threatening to harm him if he did not pay an initial extortion amount of ₹50,000. Police have registered a case at the Sinhgad Road police station.
In another incident in Warje, a laundry shop owner from Shivane was targeted for failing to pay a monthly hafta of ₹5,000. His shop was vandalized as a result. Similarly, in Swargate, a youth selling flavored milk was brutally beaten by a criminal named Mangesh Pokale after refusing to pay protection money.
Camp’s Centre Street area also witnessed an extortion case where a business man was forced to pay ₹16,000 over a period to a known criminal named Arbaz Qureshi, who has now been arrested by Lashkar police. Meanwhile, in Wagholi, a group of 8-10 men demanded ₹3,000 per month from two businessmen. When they resisted, the men assaulted them. Two accused have been arrested.
Many local business owners are afraid to come forward, leading to a climate of fear and unchecked criminal behavior. Citizens and traders are urging Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar to take strong, long-term action beyond arrests to eliminate such criminal elements, warning that otherwise, it may become increasingly difficult to run a business in Pune.