Shailesh Kedar, the nephew of infamous gangster Santosh Ambekar, along with his associates, caused widespread disruption at Gandhi Putla Square on Sunday night, armed with weapons. The attack lasted for approximately an hour and a half, instilling fear among local traders.
Despite Kedar’s recent arrest on June 2 by the Tehsil police for extortion, his recent actions have raised concerns about law enforcement’s effectiveness. While Ambekar remains incarcerated under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA), Kedar is allegedly continuing to manage his criminal operations, targeting traders and small shopkeepers for extortion.
Over 50 food stalls, stretching from Gandhi Putla Square to Shaheed Square, have been under threat from Kedar and his group in recent days. Their aggression intensified following Kedar’s release on bail. On Saturday at around 9:15 p.m., Kedar, Sachin, and other associates arrived at Gandhi Putla Square, armed and aggressive. They threatened and abused customers, assaulted cart vendors, and vandalized stalls. The attackers targeted a young man running a paan cart and another individual who intervened, injuring him with scissors.
The group then moved to the vicinity of Sheetla Mat Temple, where they vandalized additional carts and threatened a jewelry showroom owner. When the owner refused to comply with their demands, the assailants attempted to break the shop’s shutter with a stick and threw stones until the terrified owner handed over jewelry.
The chaos continued unabated for about an hour and a half before police intervention. Law enforcement arrived around 11 p.m., at which point Kedar and his associates fled the scene.