Pune: In a remarkable display of efficiency, the police recovered stolen gold ornaments worth ₹2.66 lakh within an hour of the theft at Narayangaon bus station. The accused, a woman from Wardha district, was arrested, and the stolen mangalsutra and gold ring were successfully retrieved.

The victim, 59-year-old Pushpa Ramdas Divekar from Junnar, had been traveling with her husband to Pune’s YCM Hospital for medical treatment. Concerned about theft during the journey, she had secured her jewelry in a plastic bag and placed it inside her purse. However, while waiting at the bus stand around 2 PM, she discovered that the valuables had been stolen. She immediately reported the incident to the Narayangaon police.

Rapid Investigation and Arrest

Assistant Police Inspector Mahadev Shelar promptly launched an investigation, scrutinizing CCTV footage from the bus station. The footage revealed a suspicious woman lingering near the victim before boarding a Pune-Nashik State Transport (ST) bus. Acting on this lead, the police shared the suspect’s images and bus details with Alephata Police Station.

A coordinated police team, including PSI Som Shekhar Shete, Constable Mangesh Lokhande, Woman Constable Suvarna Gadge, Police Patil Sushant Bhujbal, and volunteers Munaf Pinjari and Vijay Neharkar, immediately began pursuing the suspect.

With assistance from Constable Sachin Satpute of Alephata Police Station, officers intercepted the Nashik-bound bus near Alephata on the Pune-Nashik Highway. Upon searching the suspect, identified as 45-year-old Sandhya Santosh Shende, police recovered the stolen mangalsutra and gold ring. She was arrested on the spot, and a case was registered against her.

The prompt response by the police has drawn widespread appreciation from both locals and passengers. The elderly victim, moved to tears upon recovering her stolen jewelry, expressed her heartfelt gratitude to the officers. "It felt as if God himself had come in the form of the police," she remarked emotionally.