The war between the Shekhu and Hiranwar gangs has once again brought fear to the streets of Nagpur. In a deadly act of revenge, the Hiranwar gang struck back just three-and-a-half months after one of their own, Pawan Hiranwar, was shot dead in Khaparkheda. In the early hours of Tuesday, around 1.30 am, the violence continued when Avinash Raju Bhusari (28), owner of Shosha Cafe, was gunned down by four shooters in the Gokulpeth area under Ambazari Police Station limits. The attackers fired six rounds at Avinash and killed him on the spot. This is the third murder linked to this bitter gang rivalry in the last two years which raised serious questions about increasing gang-rivalry in the city. Ambazari Police have identified 10 accused persons involved in the murder case and arrested two till late Tuesday night.

 

The deceased Bhusari (28), a resident of Pragati Nagar, Jaitala Road, is the owner of Sosha Cafe Lounge located in the Gokulpeth area on Ram Nagar and Laxmi Bhavan Square road. Before the shooting, Avinash had dinner at the cafe and went on a two-wheeler to get ice cream. He was sitting on the Suzuki Access scooter near his cafe and eating ice cream with his manager, Aditya. Suddenly, a group of attackers arrived in two vehicles. As soon as they saw Avinash, one of the shooters approached Avinash and fired the first shot from point blank range. The first bullet pierced through his head and Avinash collapsed on the ground. Soon after, another shooter also came to the spot and the two fired shots at Avinash who was lying on the ground. Together, they fired six shots at him. Five shots pierced through his head and one through his stomach. Ambazari Police said that they have recovered six covers of bullets from the spot. After the shooting, the attackers left the scene on their vehicles. Soon after the firing, the Ambazari Police reached the spot. Avinash’s friends also rushed to help him. He was taken to a nearby private hospital, but the doctors declared him dead.

 

The police have identified the main accused in the case - Shailesh alias Bunty Vinod Hiranwar (31), resident of Chamadia Basti, Kachipura; Sahil alias Sonu Dilip Shendre (29), Shakti Rajesh Yadav (27), Saurabh alias Monya Praveen Kalasarpe (30), Hritik Dheeraj Hiranwar (25), Ankush Bakara, Babu Hiranwar, Rahul Bawne, Siddhant Sanjay Bharadwaj. Shendre and Bharadwaj have been arrested by the police. This gang is said to be part of a long-running gang war in Nagpur. The city has been facing problems due to ongoing fights between criminal gangs. This latest murder seems to be a result of revenge and gang rivalry.

 

The issue started in July 2022 when a criminal named Suraj Hiranwar and his group killed Sharoj, the brother of another criminal Shekhu alias Gulnawaz Khan, at a petrol pump in Shankar Nagar. The fight began over a small road issue. Shekhu was in jail at the time, but he promised to take revenge. He later arranged an attack on Shailesh alias Bunty Hiranwar and Pawan Hiranwar. Pawan was killed in that attack but Bunty survived. The police arrested Shekhu and a few others, including Aviraj alias Avi Bhusari (who is a cousin of the recent victim, Avinash). Since then, Bunty and his group had been planning to take revenge for Pawan’s death. Since Aviraj was in jail, they targeted his cousin Avinash. Police investigations have revealed that this murder was planned a month in advance. Bunty reportedly bought 3 Mauser guns from a weapons dealer named Rashtrapal from Khaparkheda. He was waiting to get bullets for the guns. Shocking details have also come out that the police were aware of the weapon deal. Rural Police even arrested Rashtrapal earlier and recovered 4 to 5 pistols from him.

 

He told the police that he had sold the guns to Bunty. Still, the police failed to catch Bunty. He kept moving around secretly and managed to stay hidden, even in his own neighborhood. What’s more worrying is that Bunty and Shakti Yadav were officially externed from Nagpur district, but they were still seen moving freely in the city. Top police officers, including Joint Commissioner Nisar Tamboli, DCP Zone II Rahul Madne and Rahul Maknikar, visited the crime scene after the incident. Teams from the crime branch and Ambazari Police have been working to catch the killers. The firing has created a lot of fear in Nagpur.

 

People are now scared to go out at night, especially in areas like Gokulpeth. Citizens are asking how safe they really are if murders like this can happen in busy city areas. The murder of Avinash Bhusari is not just a case of gang violence. It shows a bigger problem - the failure of the police system to stop crime before it happens. If action is not taken soon, the people of Nagpur will continue to live in fear.