Pune: PMC Employee Among Five Booked for Alleged Timber Theft from P. L. Deshpande Garden
Pune, 31st July 2026 : A Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) employee is among five persons booked for allegedly illegally felling trees and stealing timber from the renowned P. L. Deshpande Garden on Sinhagad Road, in a case that has raised serious concerns over the protection of public property.
The Parvati Police registered the case based on a complaint filed by Tanmay Babar. The accused include PMC employee Vikas Nana Atole, Tukaram Kundgir, and three others. The incident reportedly took place at around 9:30 pm on July 28.
According to the FIR, Babar and his colleague were travelling from Khadakwasla towards Maharshinagar when they noticed a tempo being loaded with freshly cut timber inside P. L. Deshpande Garden. Growing suspicious, they followed the vehicle and stopped it.
When questioned, the driver of the tempo (MH-45-6574) allegedly claimed that the timber had been collected from a housing society. However, the occupants failed to provide a satisfactory explanation when confronted with suspicions that the wood had been cut from trees inside the garden.
Babar immediately informed the police. During the inquiry, three persons travelling in the tempo allegedly admitted that the trees had been cut from the garden and the timber was being transported illegally.
During interrogation, accused Tukaram Kundgir allegedly told police that the trees were cut on the instructions of Vikas Nana Atole, a PMC garden mason posted on Sinhagad Road, and that the timber was being transported to a warehouse in Kondhwa.
The complainant further alleged that after Kundgir named Atole, he contacted the PMC employee over the phone. While Atole initially denied authorising the tree felling, he later allegedly admitted during the conversation that he had instructed the trees to be cut.
Based on the complaint, Parvati Police have registered a case under Sections 303(2) (theft) and 324(3) (causing damage to property) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Further investigation into the case is underway.
