Pune: Amid the ongoing Palkhi procession along the Mumbai-Pune Expressway, several devotees and local residents have become victims of theft, losing cash, jewellery, and mobile phones to opportunistic thieves.
In one incident at Bopodi, an elderly resident of Khadki was tricked into parting with her valuables. On Friday (June 20) around 1:30 pm, as she was walking home from Bopodi Chowk, two men approached her under the pretext of distributing free sarees for the Palkhi celebration. Persuading her to put her belongings — ₹32,000 in cash, jewellery, and a mobile phone — into a bag, the men vanished with her belongings. Khadki Police have registered a case, and Sub-Inspector Digvijay Chougale is leading the investigation.
Elsewhere, two women attending the Palkhi darshan were also targeted. Mangal Suresh Jadhav (68), from Old Sangvi, lodged a complaint at Khadki Police Station after losing her gold chain at Bopodi Chowk. Another devotee, Suman Kale, had her jewellery stolen as thieves disappeared into the crowd. Despite the presence of plainclothes officers at key spots along the procession route, culprits managed to make a quick getaway.
Mobile Thieves Caught Red-Handed
Meanwhile, Market Yard Police successfully nabbed two men accused of stealing phones from Warkaris during the Dindi. Prakash Devaram Parihar (29) of Lohiyanagar and Mohammad Manan Jamal Sheikh (25) of Market Yard were arrested near Shri Sharada Gajanan Mandir. Acting on the instructions of Police Inspector Manisha Patil and Crime Branch Inspector Sunita Navale, the team recovered two stolen phones.
With crowds swelling along the Palkhi route, police have increased surveillance and urged devotees to remain alert and protect their belongings during the pilgrimage.
