Pune: The Vishrambaug police on Wednesday arrested four of the eight men who allegedly assaulted a flower vendor with billhooks around 8.45pm on Tuesday over an illegal notice board on Kelkar Road in Narayan Peth.Swapnil Ramchandra More (34), the flower vendor, sustained injuries to his hands, shoulder, chest and stomach. More was admitted to a private hospital and is reported to have been out of danger. The victim is a resident of Narayan Peth and has lodged a complaint with the Vishrambaug police on Wednesday morning.Senior inspector Santosh Pandhare of Vishrambaug police said, “The suspects fled from the scene after the assault and left behind their motorcycles. We managed to arrest four assailants identified as Mukund Shirke (27), Harsh Shirke (29), both residents of Narayan Peth, Abhishek Thorat (22) and Nikhil Jagtap (33), both from Shaniwar Peth, on the charges of attempted murder.”Pandhare said the four arrested men were in a Ganesh mandal, which was headed by the former corporator. “We have registered the case against the former corporator and others after the victim named the assailants and their aides in the complaint. The former corporator also owns an eatery near the assault site. We are searching for the remaining four men named in the complaint.”Inspector Arun Ghodke of Vishwambaug police said, “An allegedly illegal board was put up by the complainant and his friends off the Kelkar Road. A group of four men arrived at the spot on their motorcycles. They tried to remove the board, but More and his friends told them that the civic authorities will remove it.”“Following this, the four men left the spot. However, within a few minutes, they returned with billhooks. They grabbed More and started assaulting him. In the meantime, More’s friends picked up stones and hurled at them and chased them away. The four ran from the spot, leaving behind their two motorcycles. We have seized the motorcycles and we are yet to seize the billhooks,” Ghodke said.
