He is a popular parkour artist who has “done some movie stunts”, too. He is also the “Spiderman of Arunachal Pradesh” with one of his YouTube videos posted in 2019, showing him jumping, swinging, climbing and running over walls, terraces and streets, drawing over 25 million views.
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And yet, that’s not what 26-year-old Takam Todo wants to talk about — it’s the death of Tripura student Anjel Chakma in Dehradun days ago following a scuffle with six youths who allegedly also abused him using racial slurs.
For Todo, the incident revived memories of that night of August 14, 2016, at the government polytechnic college in Pune, where he was studying.
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“I was attacked… maybe because of my looks and because the assailants considered me an outsider with no local support. Even the police initially ignored me… Having gone through that, I demand justice for Anjel Chakma and I support the ongoing protests against hate crimes and discrimination against Northeast Indians,” says Todo.
“It is unfortunate that people of the Northeast continue to face discrimination in other parts of the country because they look different. We are Indians, not Chinese or outsiders,” he says.
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Son of a BSF head constable, Anjel Chakma was among the first in his final-year MBA batch to be placed at a private company.
Todo recalls that it was about 9 pm when he — then a 17-year-old second-year student pursuing a diploma in civil engineering — was talking to friends within the college premises.
“A little distance away, a group of miscreants were drinking alcohol. Accidentally, the light from my torch fell on them. In a flash, they were upon me. They slapped and hit me… things got out of control and they finally hit me on my head with a big stone while shouting that I was an outsider,” he recalls. “Some of my friends left to call the security guards while the others fled fearing they’d get beaten up too. I was left bleeding and scared,” Todo says.
Clearly, nothing much has changed, says Todo, speaking to The Indian Express over phone from Itanagar where he is now based.
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“I managed to get up and in the dark, dragged myself to the Chaturshringi police station. But the cops did not file a complaint because I was unable to identify the assailants,” he says.
The police filed an FIR six days later, on August 20, against unidentified assailants. By then, members of North East Community of Pune had also come out in Todo’s support. The police launched a probe to identify and arrest the accused but there was no breakthrough.
The incident had also prompted then Pune police chief Rashmi Shukla to admit that she felt “very bad” while assuring that she would look into issues related to the safety and security of people from the Northeast settled in the city. “I contacted the police a few times later. But there was no development, nothing. I shifted to Arunachal Pradesh in March 2020, and completed my B.Tech,” says Todo.
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According to him, he survived that attack “only because of the strength I got from free running parkour”. “I developed an interest in parkouring around 2013, after watching movies like Vidyut Jamwal’s Commando, Tiger Shroff’s Heropanti and videos of Tony Jaa (the Thai martial artist and actor),” he says. “I learnt the sport myself by watching videos and CDs. Then I cosplayed Spiderman doing parkour and freerunning in Pune, and later in Arunachal Pradesh and other places, too.”
Now, Todo is also preparing for competitive exams to get a government job. The video that got him all those views in 2019? “Spiderman Jumping in Pune (India)”.
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Chandan Haygunde is an Assistant Editor at The Indian Express, based in Pune. With over 20 years of experience in journalism, he is one of the region’s most authoritative voices on crime, national security, and legal affairs.
Professional Profile
Specialization:
He specialises covering issues related to Crime, Courts, National Security and Human Rights. He has done investigative reporting on incidents of terrorism, left wing extremism, espionage cases, wildlife crimes, narcotics racket, cyber crimes and sensational murder cases in Pune and other parts of Maharashtra. While working on the ‘Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) Fellowship on Tigers, Tiger Habitats and Conservation’ in 2012, he reported extensively on the illegal activities in the Sahyadri Tiger Reserve in Maharashtra. He is at the helm of the widely read weekly series “Pune Crime Files”. He is widely recognized for his deep-dive coverage of the cases related to the Koregaon Bhima violence in Pune and the Elgaar Parishad investigation.
Key Beats:
His portfolio includes covering crimes mainly under the jurisdiction of Pune City, Pune rural and Pimpri Chinchwad Police, along with the sensitive cases from the state, being investigated by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), and the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
Background:
Before his long tenure at The Indian Express, he worked with other Marathi and English publications, giving him a unique grassroots understanding of Maharashtra’s socio-political landscape.
Awards and Recognition:
He got the CMS PANOS Young Environment Journalist Award in January 2014 for investigative reports on illegal activities in Sahyadri Tiger Rerserve.
He received the award for outstanding investigative journalism by the Lokmat group in Pune in January 2020, “Missing since 2010, Pune youth a ‘Maoist Commander’ in Chhattisgarh”, which appeared on July 9, 2019.
Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025)
In recent months, Chandan’s reporting has focused on high-profile terror case investigations, inter-state firearms racket, leopard movements in Pune city, cyber scams and hearings of the Koregaon Bhima Commission of Inquiry.
1. High-Profile crimes and terrorism cases
“Techie linked to Al-Qaeda preached democracy is against Shariat” (Nov 17, 2025).
Reporting on the ongoing investigation into the arrest of IT professional Zubair Hangargekar (37) from Pune for alleged terror links.
“The case against Jyoti Jagtap, member of ‘Maoist front’ Kabir Kala Manch and Elgaar Parishad organiser, granted interim bail by apex court” (Nov 20, 2025)
Tracking the updates in the high profile Elgaar Parishad case related to the alleged naxal activities in urban areas.
“How NIA arrested doctor turned ‘ISIS recruiter’ in Maharashtra terror module case” (Nov 24, 2025)
After the arrest of doctors in Delhi Red Fort blast, a report on alleged terror links of a consulting anaesthetist from a Pune hospital.
“A year after loco pilot averts tragedy by spotting gas cylinder on railway track, probe still inconclusive” (Dec 8, 2025).
Report on the unsolved case of a suspected sabotage incident, which could have derailed a train.
“No records of Sambhaji Maharaj’s cremation available: Author, ex-IAS officer Vishwas Patil tells Koregaon Bhima panel” (Dec 1, 2025)
Reporting on a sensitive issue related to the Koregaon Bhima violence.
2. Inter-state firearms racket
“Pune police swoop down on ‘village of pistols’ in Madhya Pradesh; 36 detained, 50 kilns destroyed” (Nov 22, 2025)
“Recce a week before, microplanning: how Pune police raided ‘village of pistols’ in MP” (Nov 24, 2025)
Reporting on the illegal gun manufacturing units in Umarti village, Madhya Pradesh
3. Cybercrime & Financial Scams
“Pimpri Chinchwad police arrest ‘bank account supplier’ with links to China, nationwide cyber scams” (Nov 27, 2025)
An investigative look at the modus opernadi of international cyber-gangs cheating high-earning professionals across the country
‘Your case linked to Pahalgam terrorist’: Pune businessman loses Rs 1.44 crore to fraudster posing as NIA chief” (Oct 18, 2025)
Report on the tricks played on cyber scammers cheating people through digital arrest frauds
Signature Style: The Investigative Hit
Chandan is known for his ability to cultivate deep-cover sources within the police and intelligence agencies. His writing often goes beyond the “police version” of events, providing historical context and identifying systemic lapses. He is particularly respected for his balanced reporting on sensitive communal issues and his persistent tracking of the Maoist urban-link cases, making his columns essential reading for legal experts and policymakers.
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