7 charged under MCOCA for youth leader's murder

Pune: The Pune rural police have charged seven suspects, involved in the murder of Nationalist Congress Party youth leader Vijay Mirge, under the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA).
Mirge (32), the president of NCP's youth wing for Bhor, Velhe and Mulshi constituencies, was hacked to death on Matalwadi Road in Bhugaon on December 24, 2015.The Pune rural police had arrested six men. Three of the suspects, Amar Ashok Sanas (28), Samir Sanas (29) and Mayur Sanas (28), were brothers and had allegedly plotted Mirge's murder to gain dominance in the land dealing business in Bhugaon. The three others arrested in connection with the murder were Akshay Surve (25), Nilesh Marne (24) and Tushar Gogawale (24). The seventh suspect, Mobin Omen, is on the run.
Inspector Vishamber Golde of the Paud police station said Mirge was a big name in the land dealing business in Bhugaon area. The Sanas brothers wanted to capture the business. "Moreover, in December 2013, Mirge had forced Mayur Sanas to withdraw his nomination from the gram panchayat elections," Golde said.
He said Gogawale, too, wanted to enter the land dealing and construction business in the area. "Due to Mirge's hold, Gogawale had not been able to expand his construction business," Golde said.
He said the suspects hatched a plot to eliminate Mirge, who was also a gram panchayat member. "After Mirge's death, Mayur Sanas planned to contest the midterm elections. After winning the elections, Mayur would have helped Gogawale and the others expand their businesses," Golde said.
Golde said investigations also revealed the involvement of a seventh suspect, Mobin Omen. "We have charged all the seven suspects under. We have launched a search for Omen, who is on the run," he added.
76 charged under organised crime act in 3 years
The Paud police have charged as many as 76 criminals from eight gangs under since 2013. Inspector Vishamber Golde said the Paud police had charged 16 members from Vitthal Shelar's gang and 10 members from the Ram Kedari gang under the act in 2013. In 2014, the act was invoked against 13 accomplices of gangster Gajanan Marne and nine members of the Pappu Uttekar gang. Nine members from gangster Balaji Kamble's gang were charged under and sent behind bars in 2015. So far in 2016, the Paud police have charged two members from Shubham Gole's gang and the seven men involved in Vijay Mirge's murder, Golde said.
"We plan to take stringent action against 50 more criminals on police records very soon," the inspector added.