Who is Surendra Patil?
A 52-year old builder and self styled instagram influencer residing in Dombivli ,Maharashtra skyrocketed to social media fame through over the top dramatic videos that went viral first for their boldness and later for their consequences. This is the man behind the ‘Pookie Gangster’ reels that have lately flooded your feed. Several people have mirrored his ‘groove like a gangsta’ vibe to create memes and videos, landing this guy into Inst’s quick hall of fame.
But no one is actually aware that behind this trend, there is a real gangster who is currently at the center of multiple criminal investigations.
The Viral Trend
Apart from his ‘dance like a gangsta’ trend that went viral, a video shot inside the Manpada police station where he delivers a dialogue, “ Rani nahin hai toh kya hua, ye Badshah aaj bhi lakhon dilo pe raaj karta hai” has made him a meme icon and reel template for many aspiring content creators. Meme pages have clipped his police station video captioning it as “influencer gone rogue”. His so called swagger-like dance move was recreated in parody reels by actors and comedians. There is no end to the voiceovers and edits using his clips.
This trend largely glamorized his image and turned this Real Life Gangster into the ‘Pookie Gangster’ overnight. His glamour and fame only lasted up until his arrest for filming reels while sitting in a senior police officer’s chair, impersonating the police officer. But his crimes that unfolded post the arrest will shock you.
Heinous Crimes
- Rape Case wherein a Job Offer turned Assualt
A 19 -Year old girl from Nashik has filed a complaint against him accusing him of sexually assaulting between Feb16 – Mar 29, 2025 under the false pretenses of providing her a job at the Mumbai Airport. He also threatened to release audio and video recordings of his acts involving her on social media if she spoke out. Surendra and his driver subjected her to a humiliating search and stripped her. He also threatened to kill her parents. The police has registered a rape case against him but Patil denies the allegations, claiming it as w means to extort money.
- Rape case- A Tenant’s nightmare
A divorced woman who rents space from Patil has also acccused him of repeatedly raping her under the pretense of business negotiations. Patil allegedly seized her business equipment and offered to waive rent in exchange for sex. The woman claims that Patil exploited her critical financial situation.
- Criminal Record
Patil has been previously booked for illegal arms possession, impersonation of police personnel, Defamation via Social Media, Being duped of ₹40 Lakhs by conmen posing as cops, creating content at restricted police spaces and who knows what else.
Final Thoughts
‘Dropped Like A Hot Potato!” Patil who was being celebrated in his online circles is now trending for darker reasons. His fanfare is split up between the “blind by fame” and “insta aware” as some still share his reels while others are calling for justice to the victims. What we require is a scrutiny of influencer behaviour and put an end to online glorification of unlawful actions.
Stay tuned to vibewaale for more updates and breaking news.
