Pune City Police has invoked the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) against 13 members of the ‘Koyta gang’.
Police have identified the gang leader as Samir Pathan (26), a resident of Malwadi. Police had arrested Samir and his nine aides in connection with an attempt to murder and rioting case lodged at the Hadapsar police station last month. Three more accused in this case are still on the run.
According to police, Samit and his aides have been found to be involved in multiple criminal cases in the past, including robbery, rioting and others, lodged at different police stations.
A gang member, Ganesh alias Dada Havaldar (22), has also been externed from city limits in the past due to increasing criminal activity. So, a proposal to invoke MCOCA was submitted by Senior Police Inspector Arvind Gokule of the Hadapsar police station.
The proposal has been approved by Additional Commissioner of Police Ranjan Sharma.
