Several valuable items including ACs, TVs, and chandeliers worth around ₹20 lakh have gone missing from the Pune Municipal Commissioner’s official bungalow in Model Colony.
Despite 24x7 security and CCTV surveillance, the incident remained hidden from public knowledge, and now new purchases have been initiated to refurnish the bungalow.
Confusion surrounds the responsibility for the bungalow’s maintenance, with different PMC departments denying accountability.
Pune, 6th August 2025: Several high-value items including air conditioners, LED TVs, an aquaguard, chandeliers, brass lamps, and other electronics have mysteriously gone missing from the official bungalow of the Pune Municipal Commissioner located in Model Colony. Despite round-the-clock security and CCTV coverage, the incident has quietly unfolded without any official complaint being filed so far.
The bungalow, spread across half an acre, is a fully furnished residence maintained by the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) for its serving commissioner. Until recently, former commissioner Dr. Rajendra Bhosale lived at the residence. Following his retirement, newly appointed commissioner Naval Kishore Ram was to take up residence there. It was during the inspection ahead of his move-in that several items were found missing.
According to internal sources, the inspection was carried out by officials from PMC’s building, electrical, and security departments. Missing items include four air conditioners, two LED TVs (45 and 65 cm), brass antique lamps, a coffee machine, remote bells, a walkie-talkie set, kitchen fittings, an aquaguard, and chandeliers.
The estimated cost of the lost items is around ₹20 lakh. Due to the urgency of preparing the bungalow for the new commissioner, a fresh procurement process for these items has already begun, with some being purchased directly and others through tendering.
The matter, however, was kept under wraps and not reported publicly. While PMC departments remained tight-lipped, internal discussions revealed uncertainty about which department is truly responsible for the property.
The Estate Department claimed to have handed over the bungalow to the Building Department, while the Building Department argued that as a PMC-owned property, it falls under the Estate Department’s purview. Meanwhile, the 24x7 presence of the Security Department further complicates the issue.
When contacted, Additional Commissioner (Estate) Prithviraj B.P. was unavailable for comment.
This is not the first time a PMC official bungalow has reported theft. A similar incident occurred nearly a decade ago at the Mayor’s official residence on Ghole Road, where an LED TV was stolen. Although a police complaint was filed then, the culprits were never found. In contrast, despite the scale of the missing items at the commissioner’s residence, no formal complaint has yet been lodged in this case.
