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हिन्दी 
PUNE: A key member of the Tipu Pathan gang, Shahrukh alias Atti Rahim Shaikh (23), was shot dead by Pune city police during a retaliatory firing operation in Lamboti near Solapur in the early hours of Sunday.
The operation was carried out by units 5 and 6 of the crime branch.
Shaikh, wanted in several serious criminal cases including those under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA), had been absconding. He was tracked to Lamboti village, where he had been staying at his cousin’s house for the past 20 days.
According to police, a six-member crime branch team, along with local personnel from Mohol police station, reached the location around 3:30 am. With the help of a local woman, they approached the ground-plus-one structure where Shaikh was staying on the first floor with his wife and children.
“When the door was opened by Shaikh’s wife, officers asked for his whereabouts. Sensing trouble, both started shouting. Assistant Police Inspector (API) Madan Kamble requested Shaikh to surrender, but his wife allegedly pushed the officer. Taking advantage of the distraction, Shaikh brandished a firearm and threatened to shoot,” a senior officer said.
Despite repeated warnings to surrender, Shaikh opened fire. In retaliation, police fired back. An initial round struck him in the thigh, but he continued to shoot while using his children as cover. In the ensuing exchange, Shaikh was critically injured. He was rushed to Solapur Government Hospital, where he died during treatment. Some policemen sustained minor injuries in the operation.
“Shaikh fired at the police team while resisting arrest. Our officers returned fire in self-defence. He sustained injuries to vital organs and later died during treatment,” said Pankaj Deshmukh, (ACP Crime), Pune.
Police said five rounds were fired during the encounter, of which two were by the police. “The exact number of rounds fired is yet to be ascertained. We are waiting for the post-mortem report,” said Nikhil Pingale, (DCP Crime).
Shaikh was a notorious figure in Pune’s underworld and had been booked in 15 criminal cases since 2011. These included charges of extortion, attempted murder, and land grabbing. He was earlier booked under MCOCA in 2021 and again in 2025 for his involvement in a criminal conspiracy linked to the Kalepadal attempted murder case. He and 17 others were booked in the case, with nine arrested so far. Shaikh was among the eight who remained absconding.
Police recovered two country-made pistols, one of which was used by the accused, along with nine live rounds and two koytas from the house.
Following the encounter, Shaikh’s father, Rahim Hasan Shaikh, alleged that the police staged a fake encounter.
“My son had given up crime and started a footwear business. The police wrongly booked him under MCOCA in a scuffle case and harassed him. That’s why he had gone into hiding for the past three months,” he claimed.
Meanwhile, based on a complaint filed by API Kamble, the Mohol police registered a case of an attempt to murder against Shaikh and his wife. The case has been filed under sections 109, 132, and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), section 3(25) of the Arms Act, and sections 37(1)(3) and 135 of the Maharashtra Police Act.
