Pune: Notorious Thief Among Four Held in Rs 30 Lakh Lonavala House Burglary
Lonavala, 19th June 2025: A major theft case reported at the Lonavala City Police Station on 9th June has led to the arrest of five suspects, including a history-sheeter, and the recovery of stolen property worth Rs 30.01 lakh. The incident occurred at the residence of Vina Narayan Mule (65), a resident of Old Khandala Road, who was away visiting her daughter in Pune when the burglary took place.
According to police reports, Mule received a call from her neighbour on the morning of 9th June informing her that her house had been broken into. Upon returning, she discovered that gold jewellery weighing 47 tolas and 2 kilograms of silver utensils,, had been stolen.
Lonavala, a popular tourist destination, often sees a spike in house break-ins during the monsoon season.
Police began their investigation by reviewing CCTV footage, which showed three suspects fleeing in the direction of Pimpri-Chinchwad. Based on information from a trusted informant, police identified one of the suspects as Chandrakant Anand Mane alias Chandu (32), a notorious thief with over 50 theft and burglary cases against him. Mane had recently been released on bail after being arrested for a burglary in Chennai, Tamil Nadu.
Despite torrential rain, the Local Crime Branch (LCB) tracked and arrested Mane along with his accomplice Dhananjay Harish Kale (20), both residents of Chinchwad, from Vadgaon Maval. During interrogation, the duo confessed to the crime and revealed they had sold the stolen goods with the help of Deepak Shivaji Mendge (38) of Karjat and Kailaschandra Dhaganlal Jaat (40) of Vashi.
Police recovered 38.8 tolas of gold and 2 kilograms of silver from the accused, with the total seized property valued at Rs 30.01 lakh. All four individuals have been arrested and further investigation is underway.
