Nine criminals externed to maintain law and order

PUNE: Nine criminals on police records residing in and around Koregaon Bhima have been externed in anticipation of the anniversary event at the

Koregaon-Bhima

victory tower on January 1, 2019.

Police said these criminals on record had played a key role in instigating the violence during the 200th anniversary celebration of the battle of Koregaon Bhima on January 1 this year. Superintendent of police (rural) Sandeep Patil told TOI on Tuesday, "Our effort is to prevent any untoward incident during the upcoming anniversary celebrations. The externment is one of the steps towards ensuring smooth conduct of the event ahead."

He said, "These criminals were involved in illegal activities such as running gambling dens, selling illicit liquor and an organized syndicate of antisocial elements in Sansawadi and Ranjangaon MIDC areas for the past few years."

Additional superintendent of police Sandeep Pakhale of the

Baramati

division said, "At least five criminal cases, including serious offences, were registered against these criminals. They have been externed from the district for a year."

"The externed criminals have political links and it helped them expand their syndicate across Shirur tehsil and adjoining areas," an officer, who did not wish to be named, said.

The Pune rural police and the district administration have been conducting meetings for the past few weeks with the villagers and local leaders as part of a confidence-building measure.