Pookie Don goes viral, yes, yet again, but this may be the last time!
Surendra Panduranga Patil, age 55, appeared to be one more strongman from his local community; he was successful as a social media influencer, producing meme-worthy dance videos and exhibiting boisterous and brash behavior across social media platforms.
He also had over 300,000 followers on Instagram. But…on the evening of Saturday, March 5, 2022, while Patil was at his home located in the district of Thane, Maharashtra, he became the subject of an arrest by the Crime Branch of the Maharashtra state police after investigators recovered many illegal firearms from his residence.
And wait a minute, the “peak cinema” moment is yet to arrive.
His latest arrest came barely a week after Patil had secured bail in another case, immediately raising questions about patterns of behaviour and the possibility of deeper involvement in illegal activities.
Thane Builder-Influencer Arrested: Crime Branch Investigatio in Dombivli Dawdi Area
According to officials with the Crime Branch, the investigative operation into Patil’s illegal possession of firearms began with the collection of specific intelligence that suggested that illegal firearms were located at his home. Based on this information, Crime Branch personnel executed a search warrant for Patil’s bungalow located in the Dawdi area of Dombivli shortly after midnight on Sunday morning, March 6.
Tip-Off to Raid: How Police Traced Illegal Weapons at Pookie Don’s Bungalow
While the firearms were not swiftly visible at the time of the search, police officers noted there were some recently installed items in the home that did not appear to match with the decor and other items inside it. Upon close examination of one such item, a shoe rack, police discovered it was not a shoe rack at all, but rather a decoy item that disguised an area behind it that contained numerous illegal firearms.
WOAH!
“Acting on a tip-off, our team searched Patil’s bungalow… We recovered a cache of weapons hidden behind a fake panel of a newly installed shoe rack that did not match the house’s interior,” an official told PTI.
₹10 Lakh Arms Seizure: Pistols, Revolvers, Cartridges and Sharp Weapons Recovered
With five country-made firearms (Pistols/Revolvers), one USA made firearm, two Air Guns, 371 cartridge casings, 167 airgun pellets, a long sword, a short button knife, and some unknown sharp edged weapon (i.e. knife), and two metal pipe style rods(support structures for whatever construct they would’ve used) that’s almost a million dollars worth of killing devices!
Furthermore, from the extravagant and horrendous volume of firearms and ammunition that were seized, enforcement supports that this entity has enough functional kills so yeah, it’s not for show or Symbolic\Display type of purposes.
Props or Illegal Stockpile? Investigation Into Pookie Don’s Social Media Claim
Patil’s defense is very simplistic in that his argument; he says that all the firearms were props in support of creating gangster-type video content for social media. Given that Patil markets himself online in support of that same gangster character he created, it seems to be a rational defense to heaving all of these killing weapons.
But, the police is so not buying it!
Investigators are not simply viewing this case as an excessive example of wannabe’s performing for show. They are actively investigating to determine if all the firearms were intended for making a Mini-army, supplying locally based criminal types with firearms, or simply providing participation in a much larger Illegal Arms Circulation Organization.
Because of the additional concealment aspect used in the storage of these devices and their quantity, enforcement agencies do not presently support that explanation being sufficient for the defense of “props”.
Who is ‘Pookie Don’? A Life Beyond the Username
In order to comprehend the situation, one must first appreciate the persona.
Professionally, Surendra Panduranga Patil works in construction; however, his social media presence is hmm…quite different. On Instagram, he goes by the name of “Pookie Don” or “Pookie Uncle” and has created a persona that combines his sense of humour with bravado and intimidation.
Patil’s content includes:
• Quirky dance videos featuring exaggerated facial expressions
• Clips showing him as a local strongman
• Videos displaying him with guns.
Many of these videos have received hundreds of thousands of views, and as a result, he now has over 3 lakh followers.
In a number of his videos, Patil has also appeared to have received police protection; however, sources later confirmed that this protection had been removed.
The investigation pertains to what has become a very blurred line between performance and projection in Patil’s case.
Is This Pookie Don’s 1st Criminal Case?
This is not the first time Patil has been in the spotlight! No no, pookie don has had a long run of viral mischief on the internet.
Patil gained notoriety when he posted a video shot inside a police inspector’s office at the Manpada police station in which he posed with an officer’s firearm. This prompted a great deal of debate regarding the officer’s access to the weapon and the protocols and oversight associated with it.
In the earlier video, Patil’s actions raised serious, albeit not immediate or legal questions. The current case involves far more serious legal implications for his actions.
The time frame for arrest is critically important, as is the time frame for the recovery.
1. Prior to being arrested again and having new charges filed against him, Patil had recently received bail in another court case.
2. Days later, the Crime Branch executed a search warrant at his house.
3. When they searched, they found a hidden stash of weapons.
4. They re-arrested him after the recovery of the hidden cache and will now file new charges against him.
Arms Act and Maharashtra Police Act Charges: Legal Action Against Pookie Don
Patil has been charged with violating the Arms Act as well as the Maharashtra Police Act related to the recovery of a hidden cache of weapons. However, the investigation is just beginning.
According to law enforcement officials who are still investigating, they are attempting to determine:
• Were the weapons only used in conjunction with social media?
• Were there connections to local gangs?
• Is this stash part of a larger supply chain?
The hidden compartment, the volume of ammunition in that compartment, and previous controversies surrounding Patil are all factors that law enforcement sees as critical to solving the entire case.
One of the more telling details that surround the case is the shoe rack that did not match the rest of Patil’s home!
That detail is straight out of an Anurag Kashyap-coded cinematic universe.
This was the detail that caused officers to investigate Patil’s home further, to locate the false wall, and ultimately discover the hidden stashed weapons that Patil had acquired.
What may have otherwise gone without notice was the critical piece of evidence that led law enforcement to uncover the entire scheme.
For the time being, Surendra Panduranga Patil is still in custody, and the investigation continues to expand.
At the heart of this issue is a question that reaches beyond one man, when an online persona constructed with intention aligns with or misrepresents one’s conduct in real life, where does virality stop and liability begin?