Gang rivalry begins on Facebook, ends in Pune teen’s death, three held

Offended by his Facebook status, a gang of eight persons allegedly hacked a 16-year-old to death at Sangramdurg Fort in Chakan, Pune, late on Thursday. The gang also attacked his friend, who escaped with injuries. Both the attackers and the victims — deceased Aniket Sandip Shinde and his friend Omkar Manoj Bisnare — have had criminal cases registered against them in the past, according to police.

The Chakan police said both sides wanted to mark their territory in Chakan. “A few days ago, one of the attackers updated his FB status as ‘King of Chakan’. Aniket then updated his status to ‘Dad of the King’. This angered the rival gang and both sides decided to meet at the fort fight it out,” the police officer said. Inspector Mohan Yadav, in charge of Chakan police station, said, “According to Omkar’s statement, as soon as they reached the fort, they were surrounded; one of the attackers pulled out a pistol and pulled the trigger but it did not fire. Aniket was attacked with sharp weapons and his head smashed with a stone.” The Chakan police has arrested three attackers.