Special Correspondent
Pune: A notorious thief with a criminal record of over 100 cases of house break-ins, robberies, and thefts across Maharashtra has left both victims and law enforcement stunned by his peculiar modus operandi. Harshad Gulab Pawar (31), a resident of Mulshi, would steal bikes to travel between crime scenes and, bizarrely, return them to their owners with apologetic notes.
Pawar’s crime spree included 52 robbery cases in Pune alone, with more than 100 such cases reported statewide. Despite his shocking actions, the thief would often leave behind a note on the stolen bikes, saying, “Kindly take back the case, as I returned your bike.” This unusual gesture, however, did not stop the damage he caused.
The Shivajinagar police, following an intelligence tip-off, were able to arrest Pawar after tracking him to the Shivajinagar bus stand. Upon arrest, they recovered a significant amount of stolen property, including 236.53 grams of gold jewelry, 212 grams of silver, and sharp tools used for breaking locks. In his possession, they also found an extensive collection of 50 keys, which he used to break into homes.
Pawar’s method of committing crimes was simple yet effective: he would travel by public transport or, at times, by stolen bikes, wearing a cap and jacket to disguise himself and evade detection by CCTV cameras. Pawar’s criminal career began at the age of 16, when he committed his first theft. He was sent to a juvenile home and, after his release, continued his criminal activities, leading to multiple arrests and bail-outs.
Pawar’s robbery spree began again after his most recent release in 2023. He went on to commit 13 robberies in Pune, including in areas under the jurisdiction of Shivajinagar, Khadak, Vimantal, Chandannagar, Bavdhan, Warje Malwadi, and Alandi police stations. According to Deputy Commissioner of Police Sandeep Singh Gill, “He used to store stolen goods at his home and sold them when he needed money. His modus operandi was consistent across all the cases.”
Pawar’s arrest is a significant development, but the police are continuing their investigations to recover more stolen goods and bring closure to all the victims.
