Pune: The Local Crime Branch has arrested a habitual temple thief who had been committing thefts in the rural areas of Junner and Ambegaon talukas. The arrest has resulted in the uncovering of four separate theft cases from different police stations. Police recovered silver jewelry weighing one kilogram, 2.5 grams of gold, and other stolen items worth ₹1.5 lakh from the accused.
The arrested thief has been identified as Santosh Eknath Barde, aged 50, from Akalapur, Tal. Sangamner, District Ahilyanagar.
According to the police, there had been a rise in thefts at temples in the rural parts of Junner and Ambegaon talukas. Theft complaints had been registered at the Alephata, Otur, Manchar, and Pargav police stations. To investigate the cases, the Local Crime Branch formed a special team. The team initially began working on the case registered at the Alephata Police Station and visited the crime sites. They examined CCTV footage from the temples where the thefts took place and found that a single individual was responsible for the crimes. After receiving a tip-off, the police identified the thief as Santosh Barde. A trap was set up in the Alephata area, where Barde was arrested.
Barde, a laborer by occupation, confessed to committing the thefts in Dholwad, Lauki, and Dhamani villages. He admitted to committing four thefts. In total, police recovered silver jewelry worth ₹1 lakh, gold jewelry valued at ₹50,000, and a motorcycle. The stolen goods were worth ₹1.5 lakh. The investigation has linked the thefts to four different cases registered at Alephata, Otur, Manchar, and Pargav police stations. Police are continuing their investigation.
The operation was conducted under the guidance of Superintendent of Police Pankaj Deshmukh, Additional Superintendent Ramesh Chopde, Sub-Divisional Officer Ravindra Kumar Choudhary, and Amol Mandve. The team involved in the successful operation included Police Inspector Avinash Shilimkar, Dinesh Tayade, Constables Deepak Sable, Sandeep Ware, Raju Momin, Akshay Navle, Vikram Tapkir, and Nilesh Supekar.
