Ganeshotsav Thefts: Pune Police Arrest 34 Criminals, Recover 77 Mobiles and 22 Gold Chains Worth Over Rs 68 Lakhs
Reported by Mubarak Ansari & Radhika Sharma
Pune, 28th September 2026: Pune City Police’s Zone 1 has busted four organised crime modules allegedly targeting devotees during Ganeshotsav and immersion processions, arresting 34 suspects and recovering 77 mobile phones, gold chains and ornaments, a four-wheeler, weapons and cash worth more than ₹68 lakh, police said.
The action was carried out by teams from Vishrambaug, Shivajinagar, Faraskhana and Deccan police stations. According to Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone 1) Krushikesh Rawale, police had been working on the operations for around one-and-a-half months, using CCTV surveillance, plainclothes personnel and other surveillance measures to identify suspects operating in crowded areas.
56-hour operation leads to arrests
One of the major operations was conducted by Vishrambaug Police over 56 hours, from 7 a.m. on September 25 to 3 p.m. on September 27.
Police said 15 suspects were detained during the operation and several cases involving gold-chain snatching, mobile-phone theft and pocket-picking were detected. Gold chains, mangalsutras, jewellery and mobile phones worth approximately ₹35 lakh were recovered.
The accused include Santosh Kanhu Pawar of Ahilyanagar; Jalindar Shahirrao Waghmare of Beed; Sushant Shivaji Gaikwad of Latur; Gaffar Maula Shaikh of Nampally, Hyderabad; and Shaikh Saibaz Shaikh Shafiq of Malegaon, Nashik.
63 mobile phones recovered from Malegaon-based gang
Shivajinagar Police arrested 11 members of an inter-district group allegedly involved in mobile-phone thefts during the immersion procession on September 26.
According to police, a team led by PSI Arvind Shinde received information that a group of armed men had assembled near Khude Bridge along the Mutha riverbed. Police raided the location at around 6:50 a.m. and arrested the suspects.
The police said they recovered 63 high-end mobile phones, a Chevrolet Cruze allegedly used as a getaway vehicle, two sharp cutters, iron cutters and packets of red chilli powder. The seized property was valued at ₹30.57 lakh.
Police said the mobile phones had allegedly been stolen from devotees in areas including JM Road, FC Road, Jhansi Rani Chowk, PMC Bhavan and Laxmi Road.
The accused were identified as Abdul Qadir Noor Mohammad, Abdul Malik Abdul Khaliq, Ziyaur Rehman Shaukat Hussain, Mohammad Aswad Mohammad Ajmal, Faisal Aziz Khan, Huzaifa Anjum Mohammad Sajid, Zuber Ahmed Mukhtar Ahmed, Azhar Ahmed Allaf Ahmed Momin, Javed Akhtar Shafiq Ahmed Ansari and Athar Ahmed Aejaz Ahmed, all from Malegaon, along with Atul Maroti Ingle of Washim.
A case has been registered under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), Arms Act and Maharashtra Police Act.
Three arrested near Dagdusheth pandal
Acting on a tip-off received by policemen Gajanan Sonune and Azim Shaikh, Faraskhana Police arrested three persons—two women and a man—in connection with thefts allegedly targeting devotees near the Dagdusheth Ganpati festival area.
The action followed a September 20 complaint regarding the theft of gold ornaments worth ₹38,000 outside festival stalls on Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Road.
Police identified the accused as Aarti Akash Chavan, 22, of Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar; Suvarna Rohit Shinde, 35, of Buldhana; and Rohit alias Deepak Shinde, 40, also of Buldhana.
Police said five offences—two registered with Faraskhana Police and three with Vishrambaug Police—were detected and that the stolen property was fully recovered.
The recovered property included 18.510 grams of gold ornaments valued at ₹2.59 lakh. Police also seized iron cutters allegedly used to cut necklace clasps in crowded areas.
Deccan Police foil alleged armed robbery plan
Deccan Police also arrested five men allegedly preparing to commit an armed robbery during festival gatherings.
Acting on information received by policeman Sachin Gaikwad, officers raided the first floor of a premises above the Ganesh Temple at Achanak Mitra Mandal in Erandwane. Five suspects were allegedly found with sharp weapons, iron tools and packets of red chilli powder.
The accused were identified as Ritesh Gurunath Chippa, 25, of Ganj Peth; Vikas Nitin Lambor, 19, of Khilarewadi; Pratik Hanumant Kamble, 19, of Erandwane; Pratik Ramchandra Kadam alias Babu, 23, of Khilarewadi; and Sujal Manoj More, 19, of Bibvewadi.
A case has been registered under relevant provisions of the BNS, Arms Act and Maharashtra Police Act.
Police identify key crowd hotspots
DCP Rawale said anti-theft teams had focused on areas where large crowds gathered during Ganeshotsav and the immersion processions.
The areas identified included the Dagdusheth Halwai Ganpati temple and Datta Mandir vicinity in Budhwar Peth, Seva Sadan Chowk on Laxmi Road and the immersion ghat area on JM Road.
Police said surveillance was strengthened through CCTV networks, surveillance vehicles, mobile teams and plainclothes personnel.
Recovered valuables to be returned to devotees
DCP Rawale said police were expediting the legal formalities required to return recovered property to victims.
“Devotees will receive their recovered gold ornaments, mobile phones and cash back within the next one to two weeks,” Rawale said.
The operations were conducted under the supervision of Pune Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar, Joint Commissioner of Police Sanjay Darade, Additional Commissioner of Police (West Region) Rajesh Bansode and DCP (Zone 1) Krushikesh Rawale, along with officers from the respective police stations.
