After Gokulpeth bloodshed, betting mafia threaten another gang war
Nagpur: The city is on the brink of another gang war with tensions escalating between two notorious factions — Swapnil's Beans group and Sumeet's gang, raising fears of a repeat of the deadly Hiranwar-Sheikhu rivalry.
With three murders in three years, including the chilling killing of Avinash Bhusari by Bunty Hiranwar's gang at Gokulpeth earlier this year, Nagpur's streets are no stranger to gangland bloodshed. Now, a fresh feud between top cricket bookies Ashish and Chitu threatens to unleash another wave of murders and retaliatory attacks, leaving police scrambling to avert chaos.
The spark was ignited at a high-stakes party where Ashish and Chitu, both heavyweight bookies, clashed over dominance in the city's underworld betting scene.
Sources reveal the argument turned violent with Chitu, a former murder accused booked under MCOCA, thrashing Ashish, who rose with the alleged backing of the Mumbai underworld. Ashish, supported by the feared Sumeet gang, and Chitu, backed by politically connected Swapnil, have drawn battle lines.
Both sides are rallying their armed loyalists for a potential showdown.
Sumeet, a dreaded gangster with two MCOCA cases and a sprawling network across eastern Vidarbha, commands a formidable force.
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Twice, his gang, armed with loaded mausers and packed into four cars, rolled into rival territory to confront Swapnil and Chitu, only to find no challenge. "On another occasion, Ashish cornered Chitu at a fellow bookies' party at Pachgaon. Chitu then made a narrow escape as others shielded him," said the insider, adding the two gangs are now baying for each other's blood and exchanging threats on phone.
Insiders warn that if the groups clashed, Nagpur's roads would turn into a battlefield, mirroring the January shootout between Pawan Hiranwar, Bunty Hiranwar, and Sheikhu's gang that left one dead.
Though Pawan was shot in the rural area, the third retaliatory murder of Avinash took place at Gokulpeth, leaving the city shell-shocked. City police led by CP Ravinder Singal and DCP Crime Rahul Maknikar, are on high alert.
Maknikar's team, under senior inspector Sandeep Buwa, recently detained Swapnil and Chitu and issued a stern warning. "Sumeet and Ashish are underground, but we're tracking them. Our surveillance is relentless, and we're prepared to act decisively," Maknikar declared.
Despite these efforts, the crime branch is grappling with the fallout of ongoing rivalries and splinter group skirmishes. Sources reveal Ashish's rise was briefly halted by a former police commissioner, who forced him to shift his birthday bash to a rural venue. Meanwhile, Swapnil, also a bookie with a murder case, backs Chitu in this deadly power struggle. With both sides armed and unafraid of violence, Nagpur residents fear the worst.
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