Pune, 28th September 2026: Shivajinagar Police have arrested 11 people for allegedly stealing mobile phones from devotees during Ganesh Visarjan procession. The police recovered 63 mobile phones and a car worth approximately ₹30.57 lakh in the operation. Ten of the accused are from Malegaon in Nashik district, while one is from Washim district.
The thefts allegedly took place amid heavy crowds along Laxmi Road, Jangli Maharaj Road and Deccan Gymkhana during the immersion procession. Acting on a tip-off received by Sub-Inspector Arvind Shinde of the Shivajinagar Police investigation team, the police laid a trap near the riverbed area, where the suspects were allegedly preparing to steal mobile phones.
The police detained the suspects and questioned them. According to the police, the accused confessed to stealing mobile phones from devotees by taking advantage of the crowds during the procession.
The investigation revealed that the accused had travelled from Malegaon to Pune in a car to allegedly carry out the thefts. Police seized 63 mobile phones and the vehicle, taking the total value of the recovered property to ₹30.57 lakh.
The arrested accused have been identified as Abdul Qadir Noor Mohammad (28), Abdul Malik Abdul Khaliq (22), Jiaul Rehman Shaukat Hussain (26), Mohammad Aswad Mohammad Ajmal (31), Faisal Aziz Khan (24), Huzefa Anjum Mohammad Sajid (30), Zuber Ahmed Mukhtar Ahmed (35), Azhar Ahmed Altaf Ahmed Momin (30), Naveed Akhtar Shafiq Ahmed Ansari (33) and Athar Ahmed Ejaz Ahmed (23), all residents of Malegaon, Nashik district. The eleventh accused is Atul Maroti Ingle (24), a resident of Girola in Washim district.
The operation was conducted under the guidance of Deputy Commissioner of Police Hrishikesh Rawale and Assistant Commissioner of Police Anuja Deshmane.
The team included Senior Police Inspector Girishkumar Dighavkar, Crime Branch Inspector Amar Kalange, Sub-Inspector Arvind Shinde, Manisha Valse, Assistant Sub-Inspectors Pradeep Khaladkar, Ganesh Chobe, Tejas Chopade and Ganesh Jadhav.