Pune: Inquiry Clears Pune Municipal Commissioner’s Bungalow of Theft Allegations

Pune, 19th December 2025: A departmental investigation into claims that valuables were missing from the official residence of the Pune Municipal Commissioner has found no evidence of theft, bringing an end to the controversy that had persisted for several months.

The probe was ordered after reports emerged in June suggesting that old and valuable items had allegedly disappeared from the commissioner’s bungalow located in Model Colony. Following the allegations, Municipal Commissioner Naval Kishore Ram directed a formal inquiry and constituted a committee led by City Engineer Prashant Waghmare.

According to the findings submitted by the City Engineer’s office, a comprehensive verification of the bungalow’s inventory revealed that all listed items were present and accounted for. The inquiry involved cross-checking records and physical inspections carried out with inputs from multiple civic departments, including the Building Construction, Electrical, Central Store, Garden, and Ghole Road–Shivajinagar regional offices. Each department confirmed that no civic property was found missing.

The report was submitted to the Municipal Commissioner last month and was initially kept confidential. It was later released following repeated demands by Vivek Velankar, president of the Sajag Nagrik Manch, who had sought disclosure of the findings amid allegations of delay by the civic administration. The Pune Municipal Corporation subsequently shared the report, which clearly ruled out any loss of items from the residence.

The commissioner’s bungalow, situated adjacent to Chittaranjan Vatika in Model Colony, was vacated in late June 2025 after the retirement of former Municipal Commissioner Dr Rajendra Bhosale. Soon after the premises were handed over, inspections were conducted by civic officials from the building, electrical and security departments. During this period, speculation circulated that several items — including chandeliers, heritage artwork, air-conditioning units, brass and bronze lamps, LED televisions, a coffee machine, walkie-talkie sets and a water purifier — were allegedly missing.

The allegations triggered protests by various organisations and political groups, with demands for a police complaint and a detailed investigation, prompting the civic body to formally institute the inquiry.

Reacting to the report’s release, Velankar said the findings confirmed that the allegations were unfounded. “The document clearly states that every item listed in the bungalow inventory is intact. We had been seeking this report for weeks,” he said.

With the inquiry conclusively ruling out any missing property, the Pune Municipal Corporation has stated that the matter now stands closed.