Pune: The Pimpri Chinchwad police said that Ramesh Reddy (35), a former gambling den operator, was shot nine times on Tuesday evening. The police added that it was a result of an old rivalry between the victim and assailants.The Dehu Road police on Wednesday registered a murder case against three people and their five to six accomplices. All the assailants have been on the run. A few years ago, Reddy shut down his gambling business, became a political activist, and joined a national party. The Pimpri Chinchwad police deployed heavy bandobust in Dehu Road to avert any untoward incident.According to the police, the assailants fired as many as 18 bullets, out of which 9 hit Reddy, resulting in his death. “Along with empty cartridges, police also found about four live cartridges at the crime scene,” Dehu Road police said.Deputy commissioner of police (crime) Shivaji Pawar of Pimpri Chinchwad police told TOI, “We have formed teams to nab the assailants. Three of them have been identified. The area where the murder took place was not under CCTV surveillance. We were checking footage from nearby establishments to ascertain the direction in which the assailants fled after gunning down Reddy.”“The murder was fallout of an old rivalry. On Feb 13, 2025, Reddy’s brother Vikram was shot by the same assailants. The family members of these assailants had been arrested and were still in prison in that murder case,” he said.According to the police, the assailants were unhappy with Reddy as he had been actively opposing bail for the arrested family members of the accused. Pawar said, “The assailants arrived at the spot in two four-wheelers and two to three two-wheelers. Reddy was standing near the eatery when they opened fire at him from a close range. Nine bullets hit Reddy, mainly in the chest and head.”
