Duo wanted in firing case shoot at cops to evade arrest

Pune: Two people wanted by the police in connection with a firing case from last week opened fire again, this time shooting at cops, while trying to evade arrest in Shirur taluka’s Sonesangvi village, about 60km from the city, on Saturday evening.

Police said they retaliated by firing four rounds in self-defence, but the two men – Shekhar Jadhav, who has a criminal record, and his accomplice – escaped into nearby sugarcane fields under the cover of darkness.

“No one from the police team sustained injuries during the crossfire. We, however, suspect the accused might have sustained bullet injuries. We have launched a search for the duo,” an officer from the Pimpri Chinchwad crime branch said. Police were yet to trace them on Sunday.

On May 13, Jadhav and his accomplice had fired a round of bullets at a rival following an argument in Dighi. The police then registered a case of attempted murder against Jadhav, and he has been on the run since. A Pimpri Chinchwad crime branch team, led by senior police inspector Santosh Chavan, is currently investigating the case.

On Saturday, assistant inspector Gorakshnath Balwadkar and his team reached Ranjangaon based on a tip that Jadhav was there. While heading towards the Ranjangaon police station to request additional force, the team spotted Jadhav and his accomplice standing along the road. “Seeing the police, Jadhav and his accomplice sped away on a motorcycle,” the officer said.

The police immediately gave chase. Jadhav’s accomplice, who was riding pillion, threatened to shoot at the personnel in an attempt to deter them. “Around 6:30pm, when they reached Sonesangvi village, Jadhav abandoned his motorcycle near an eatery and fled towards a sugarcane farm. Police chased them on foot,” he said.

Jadhav instructed his accomplice to shoot at the police, the officer said. The accomplice fired two rounds, prompting Balwadkar to fire four rounds from his official firearm in self-defence. After they escaped, police launched a search operation for them. “We have registered a fresh case of attempted murder against the duo with the Ranjangaon police,” the officer added.

An officer from the Ranjangaon police station told TOI, “We continued our search on Sunday and are currently working on some clues.”