The dacoits targeted eight houses located in secluded areas along the bypass in five hours and stole booty estimated over Rs 96,000.

Chintu Maruti Bhujbal (68), Shashikant Sopan Kachare (28) and police wireless staffer Chandar Gorakh Bhujbal were injured when they were attacked with air guns, spears, axes, knives, iron rods and sticks. While Chintu has been admitted to Sassoon Hospital, Shashikant and Chandar were discharged after first aid.

Alleged dacoit Chocolate Sandhya Pawar (60) of Chavan Nagar area in Dhankawadi suffered multiple fractures when he fell down from a tree which he had scaled in a bid to evade arrest. He has been admitted to Sassoon Hospital.

A team led by Police Commissioner K K Kashyap carried out a massive combing operation in the entire area. They nabbed eight dacoits after a chase on foot for five km. Some sleuths noticed the dacoits running towards Dukkar Khind. Immediately the entire area was cordoned off and the dacoits were nabbed. Some escaped taking advantage of darkness and chaos.

Among those arrested were Ananda Pawar (22), his brother Meter (32), Hiraman Kale (55), his sons Pintu (18) and Datta (22), Bapu Shinde (40), Joshilal Shinde (50) and Chocolate Pawar (60). Some of the stolen booty and a huge cache of lethal weapons were recovered from them.

They were produced before a judicial magistrate (first class) later in the afternoon and remanded in police custody.

The police said Bapu Shinde was suspended from Pune rural police while Pintu Kale is a bootlegger from Baner. The gang members would survey various parts of the city by selling vegetables before striking, they added.

The dacoits struck at the residence of Shashikant Kachare shortly before the midnight. The Kachares' were forced to open the door when the robbers started throwing rocks at windows and threatening to kill the occupants.

The dacoits ransacked the house and stole cash and jewellery. Kachare foiled their attempts to molest the women.

Later, they used the same modus operandi and struck at the residences of Lata Kshirsagar, Haribhau Bhujbal, Jankibai Bhujbal, Narayan Tapkir, Chandar Bhujbal and Nanda Kole.

Acting on a telephonic tip-off, a 25-member team of Chatushrungi police led by inspector Vilas Jadhav began combing the area shortly after 1 p.m. Commissioner K K Kashyap, deputy commissioners Sanjay Varma and Ramrao Pawar, assistant commissioners D S Tompe, P N Ingale and V P Munde and inspectors Vijayak Jadhav and Surendra Patil rushed to the spot.