The recently held Ganpati festival may have been an occasion to seek Lord Ganesh’s blessings but it also witnessed petty thieves slipping into crowds to rob devotees of their mobile phones and other valuables. So far, at least 599 mobiles have been reported stolen or lost and the number is only increasing as more people arrive at various police stations to lodge their complaints.
The ten-day Ganesh festival began on August 31 and ended on September 9. As per data shared by the police, a total of 411 people reported their mobiles as stolen or lost during the first nine days. Whereas during the immersion procession on the last two days of the festival namely September 9 and 10, a total of 188 people reported their mobiles as stolen or lost.
Of the total 599 mobiles reported as stolen or lost, only three have been recovered, the police said. While a total of six cases have been investigated and 10 persons have been arrested.
Priyanka Narnaware, DCP (zone 1), all major Ganesh mandals from the peth areas are under whose jurisdiction, said, “The Vishrambaug police station has registered five cases of theft while the Faraskhana police station has registered three cases of theft during the Ganesh festival . Our officers are working on it. We will soon nab the culprits.” The police busted two theft rackets from the Dagadusheth Halwai Ganpati area, she said.
Every year, lakhs of devotees throng Belbaug chowk during the ten days of the Ganesh festival, especially on immersion day to bid adieu to their favorite Bappa. Many of Pune’s biggest Ganesh mandals are from the peth areas, namely Kasba Ganpati, Tambadi Jogeshwari, Guruji Talim, Tulshibaug and Kesari Wada, and these areas are jam-packed on all days, more so the last day when idols leave their respective pandals and journey to the immersion venue. This time, a record crowd of over one lakh devotees had gathered on visarjan (immersion) day as people could not celebrate for the past two years owing to Covid-19 restrictions. Despite taking necessary precautions and deploying special squads to prevent instances of theft during the festival, petty thieves were able to make their way through the crowds and slip away with the devotees’ mobile phones and other valuables, the police said.
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