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PUNE's encounter specialists believe they need the highly sophisticated semi-automatic Glock pistols to deal with terror groups and the underworld after the city witnessed real estate explosion in the past few years.

Fight on terror

"We have ordered Glock pistols for the officers and for men to deal with terror outfits. There are no specific inputs now, but anything can happen anytime. For the moment it is the underworld,'' Pune's Commissioner of Police Dr Satyapal Singh told MiD DAY. The induction of the semi-automatic Glock 17 pistols at the cost of around Rs 18 crore is expected to spread terror among members of the underworld.

Presently, the elite National Security Guard commandos are using the semi-automatic handguns to deal with anti-terror situations across the country.

Insiders say that Pune police is planning to form special squads to deal with the underworld. Most encounter specialists will be armed with a Glock as duty pistol.

Police encounters are very rare in Pune compared to the gunning of more than 700 gangsters from various gangs in Mumbai in the past 10 years.

40 gangs

Questions are being raised whether the city will be another graveyard for members of the underworld. The police have identified more than 40 gangs active in and around Pune. Majority of them want a lion's share from the city's booming real estate.

Prominent among the gangs are the Arun Gawli faction having a strong base in Maval taluka. They are very active near Wadgoan Pin, a little outside Pune city limits.

Six nabbed

Members of the rival Chhota Rajan and Ravi Pujari gangs are also active in Pune. These starling facts came to light after six members of the Pujari gang were nabbed in a scoop on April 11.

Men, women to undergo commando training

Earlier, the police had to deal with Sadiq Ibrahim Bengali alias Salman. His men stormed into a builder's office near Clover Island and demanded Rs 10 crores as protection money. There are also small-time gangs headed by Ravi Dhumal and Ashok Choudhary.

It is a matter of time before they start posing serious problems to the city, a local police officer said.

Sources informed that gangsters from Mumbai have been regularly using the expressway to escape after committing crime in Pune. Lack of patrolling on the highway has proved to be a blessing in disguise for the gangs.

Dr Satyapal explained that besides Glock pistols, the force is also being equipped with GPS and a wide range other electronic gadgets. A large number of men and women from various police stations have been shortlisted to undergo commando training in the next few months, said Satyapal.

Glock 17
Body made from high strenght nylon-based polymer and can fire 17 rounds at a time. Manufactured in Austria and the local army started using it in 1982. The Dutch, Norwegian, Swedish, Pakistan, Israel and United States police are also using semi-automatic Glock pistols of various upgraded series.