Thefts Hit Chinchpokli Chintamani Ganpati Procession in Lalbaug; FIRs Filed
Several devotees attending the Chinchpokli Chintamani Ganpati arrival procession in Lalbaug fell victim to thieves who snatched gold jewellery and stole mobile phones worth lakhs of rupees. The Kalachowki Police Station has registered multiple separate cases in connection with the incidents.
According to police complaints, 32-year-old Jyoti Nikhil Rane, a resident of Curry Road, was standing amid the crowd outside Gurukrupa in Lalbaug around 2:30 pm to purchase Ganpati decorations when an unidentified person forcibly snatched her 15-gram gold mangalsutra valued at approximately ₹1 lakh. Rane sustained an injury to her neck as the suspect fled through the dense crowd.
Around the same time, an 18-year-old devotee, Aditya Anant Sawant, was robbed near Ladusamrat in Lalbaug while watching the procession. An unidentified person pulled away his 15-gram gold chain, also valued at around ₹1 lakh, causing him minor injuries before escaping.
The procession also witnessed widespread thefts of mobile devices. Aryan Sagar Gaikwad, 22, reported that his iPhone 12, valued at around ₹50,000, was stolen from his pocket near Gurukrupa Hotel at Ganesh Galli in Lalbaug around 2:05 pm. Another complainant, 21-year-old Arjun Akash Rajbhar, reported the theft of his brother's iPhone 11, worth ₹40,000, near the Avighna Building at Curry Road.
In an additional complaint lodged at the Kalachowki Police Station, 31-year-old Narendrasinh Baljeetsingh Bajwa stated that his iPhone 17 Pro, valued at ₹1 lakh, was stolen from his pocket near Garamkhada Junction around 5:00 pm. The complaint detailed that several other devotees also lost mobile phones during the procession, including models such as the iPhone 17 Pro Max, iPhone 17, iPhone 16, iPhone 15 Plus, Vivo X300 Pro, Motorola Edge 60 Pro, and Redmi A4 5G. The total value of mobile phones reported stolen under this single complaint is estimated at ₹8.27 lakh.
Kalachowki Police have launched an investigation to identify and apprehend the suspects, probing whether an organised gang orchestrated the thefts during the gathering. Police have urged devotees attending crowded religious processions to remain vigilant and keep their valuables secure.
