Pune: Case Registered Against Five for Instagram Reels with Firearms; Two Arrested in Pimpri Chinchwad
Reported By Varad Bhatkhande
Pimpri Chinchwad, 18th July 2024: Police are closely monitoring individuals who misuse social media platforms to create a false sense of ‘terror’ through reels. A recent incident in Pimpri Chinchwad has highlighted this issue, where five individuals were involved in creating Instagram reels depicting themselves riding a two-wheeler and showing off pistols in the Chikhali area.
The Anti-Extortion Squad of the Crime Branch, Pimpri Chinchwad Police Commissionerate (PCPC), has arrested two individuals featured in the video, while a case has been registered against all of them.
Constable Ashish Botake of the Anti-Extortion Squad reported the incident to Chikhali Police Station. The case has been registered against Kunal Ramesh Sathe (26 years old, resident of Chikhali), Umesh Nilesh Bhosale (18 years old, resident of Chikhali), Yash Kamble (resident of Chikhali), Sushil Gore aka Barkya (resident of Ota Scheme Nigdi), and Rohit Mishra, known by his Instagram ID ‘maya_0043’, along with a minor accomplice. Kunal Sathe and the minor have been taken into custody.
The Chikhali Police have registered the case under relevant sections of the Criminal Law (Amendment) Act of 2013 and the Maharashtra Police Act of 1951.
According to police reports, there has been a rise in videos uploaded on social media showing individuals engaging in vandalism and spreading fear by brandishing weapons. Officials from the Pimpri Chinchwad Police Commissionerate (PCPC) have intensified efforts to rein in individuals who use social media platforms to instill ‘terror,’ influencing many directly or indirectly through their videos.
Constable Botake of the Anti-Extortion Squad came across one such video on an Instagram account. The video depicted three individuals riding a two-wheeler, with one of them wielding a pistol and threateningly waving it. They uploaded this video on Instagram, thereby spreading fear across social media platforms.
The police initially identified the accused by tracing the registration number of the two-wheeler. A minor accomplice was detained from More Wasti, Chikhali, leading to the interrogation and subsequent arrest of the accused, Kunal Sathe, by the police. Yash Kamble, seated behind with the pistol, and two other accomplices on separate two-wheelers recorded the video. As a result, a case has been registered against all five individuals, and the two arrested suspects have been handed over to Chikhali Police Station by the Anti-Extortion Squad.
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90 Similar Videos in 5 Years
Rohit Mishra, accused number 5 in this case, has posted 90 videos on his Instagram account since 2019. Many of these videos feature crime-related dialogues from films aimed at spreading fear. Additionally, he posted a video from inside a room at Vashi Police Station in Navi Mumbai, directly provoking the Maharashtra Police with a caption challenging their authority. Consequently, the accused are now facing serious charges, requiring them to respect the authority represented by the khaki uniform. Assistant Sub Inspector More from Chikhali Police Station is continuing the investigation into this matter.
