Pune Police Crack Down On Palkhi Thefts, Recover Gold And Mobiles Worth ₹24 Lakh
Pune Police Crack Down On Palkhi Thefts, Recover Gold And Mobiles Worth ₹24 Lakh
Pune, June 25, 2025: Pune Police have busted an interstate criminal gang that was stealing gold jewelry and mobile phones during the Sant Dnyaneshwar and Sant Tukaram Palkhi processions. A total of six accused have been arrested, and stolen valuables worth nearly ₹24 lakh have been recovered.
As lakhs of devotees gathered in Pune for the annual procession, the gang took advantage of the crowd to snatch women’s jewelry and steal mobile phones. Teams from Pune Crime Branch Units 5 and 6, under the guidance of Additional Commissioner of Police (Crime) Pankaj Deshmukh, successfully apprehended the culprits.
Seized Property:
- 20 gold mangalsutras (approx. 22.5 tolas) worth ₹19,41,310
- 14 mobile handsets worth ₹4.5 lakh
Total seizure: ₹23,91,130
Arrested Accused:
- Chandni Shakti Kamble (32, Latur)
- Rita alias Ganga Namdev Kamble (35, Latur)
- Babita Suraj Upadhye (57, Latur)
- Pooja Dhiraj Kamble (35, Latur)
- Ganesh Vilas Jadhav (30, Solapur)
- Arbaaz Naushad Shaikh (19, Jharkhand)
- A 17-year-old juvenile has also been taken into custody.
The accused used the dense crowds during the religious procession to carry out their thefts. Police investigation has linked the group to six registered cases at Hadapsar, Loni Kalbhor, and Wanwadi police stations.
Crime Details by Police Station:
- Hadapsar PS: IPC Sec. 303(2), 304(2)
- Loni Kalbhor PS: IPC Sec. 303(2)
- Wanwadi PS: IPC Sec. 303(2)
Police have urged those who lost jewelry or mobile phones during the Palkhi procession to contact Hadapsar or Wanawadi police stations. Efforts are ongoing to trace the rightful owners of the remaining recovered items.
Police detained 25 suspects during the procession in Vishrantwadi. Out of these, 18 were booked under BNS Section 128, while 7 juveniles were handed over to their guardians.
Operation Led By Amitesh Kumar (Police Commissioner, Pune City), Ranjankumar Sharma (Jt. CP), Pankaj Deshmukh (Addl. CP, Crime), Nikhil Pingale (DCP, Crime) and Rajendra Mulik (ACP, Crime-2)
Team of officers from Crime Branch included Wahid Pathan, Sanjay Patange, Madan Kamble, Rajasa Shaikh, Nitin Mundhe, Kanifnath Karkhile, and many others.
