Pune, 24th June 2026: A major data security lapse has come to light at the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) after a 4TB hard disk containing crucial property tax records was allegedly stolen from the civic body's main building. The incident has raised serious questions about the security of sensitive citizen data and the corporation’s internal monitoring systems.
The matter surfaced during the PMC General Body meeting when Congress corporator Arvind Shinde questioned the administration about reports of missing municipal data.
Responding to the query, Deputy Commissioner of the Property Tax Department Ravi Pawar confirmed that the incident had occurred last month. He stated that a person engaged on a contractual basis for server-related work was questioned and admitted to taking the hard disk.
According to PMC sources, the hard disk was part of the server infrastructure used by the Tax Assessment and Collection Department and contained information related to lakhs of property owners in the city. The disk allegedly went missing from the server room on May 25. However, the disappearance initially went unnoticed.
The issue came to light nearly two weeks later, on June 9, when officials were unable to access certain files and data. A verification of the server room revealed that the hard disk was missing.
Following this, the Information and Technology Department reviewed CCTV footage, which reportedly showed the employee responsible for monitoring the server room removing the device.
PMC officials subsequently called the individual for questioning, during which he allegedly admitted to taking the hard disk. Senior officials informed the General Body that the disk was later returned after the employee was confronted about the incident.
However, the case has taken a more serious turn as officials revealed that the hard disk had been formatted after being removed from the server room. Since the device contained property tax-related records and other sensitive information, there are concerns that the stored data may no longer be recoverable.
The incident has also drawn criticism over the delay in reporting the matter to the police. Although the theft reportedly occurred in May and was discovered in early June, sources said a formal complaint was filed at Shivajinagar Police Station only on Monday night after the issue was raised in the General Body meeting.
The case has triggered concerns over the protection of sensitive civic data and the accountability mechanisms governing PMC’s digital infrastructure. Police have registered a case and further investigation is underway.
