Hinjewadi, Pune's IT hub has become a hotspot for crime

Pune: The murder of the software techie in Hinjewadi has once again brought to fore the issue of safety of software engineers in the area. This is an area which has earlier witnessed a number of murders, rapes, late night robberies and looting of citizens.

Most cases have happened in lonely areas on the bypass after dark. The suspects usually escape with cash, gold ornaments, laptops and cell phones. In the last couple of months, there have been three incidents of robbers looting citizens in isolated areas at knife point while 50 other cases of theft have been reported here between January and March 2014.
Assistant commissioner of police (Chatuhshringi division) Smita Patil said, “Hinjewadi industrial area is a crucial area as it is targeted by robbers. They use the Mumbai-Bangalore highway as the escape route. Hence, we have asked a team of cops to patrol it. ”
Anil Patwardhan, president, Hinjewadi Industries Association (HIA), said, “The incident is very sad and we appeal that police to arrest the culprit soon. Unfortunately the incident took place between 9 pm and 9.20 pm, time when the duties of patrolling persons changes. The vehicle which was asked to patrol in the area had halted at Hinjewadi police station for change in duty staff.”
Navin Sharma, a software engineer, said, “Suspicious characters hang around the area at night after 9 pm and I have had my own set of experiences with them. That is why in our office we stick together as a group.”