Pune: ₹60,000 Stolen From Kasba Ganpati Temple's Donation Box Broken Open; Probe On

Pune: A thief broke open a donation box at the historic Kasba Ganpati Temple, Pune’s Gram Daivat and the first of the city’s five Manache Ganpati, and fled with around Rs60,000 in cash late Monday night, Oct 5. The incident has raised security concerns at the prominent religious site.

According to police, the theft took place around midnight when an unidentified person entered the temple premises and targeted the donation box. After breaking it open, the suspect allegedly took the cash kept inside and escaped. The entire incident was captured on the temple’s CCTV cameras. Police said the footage clearly shows the movements of the suspect inside the premises.

Faraskhana Police have registered a case and are examining CCTV footage from the temple as well as cameras installed in the surrounding area to identify and trace the suspect. Speaking to The Free Press Journal, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime Branch) Gaur Hasan said police received information about the theft on Tuesday morning and immediately launched an investigation.

Hasan said, “We got this information today morning. We have launched an investigation and our teams are working on it. We are examining CCTV. We will soon reveal all necessary information regarding this case. The area is under tight security.”

Police teams are currently working to establish how the suspect entered the temple, the route taken after the theft and whether anyone else was involved. Technical investigation and CCTV analysis are also being carried out to establish the suspect’s identity.

Police said the suspect entered the temple premises between 11.30 pm on Oct 4 and 5.20 am on Oct 6, broke the lock of the sanctum sanctorum and used an iron rod to break open the wooden donation box inside. He also allegedly broke open two donation boxes placed in front of the main sanctum and another donation box at the Maruti temple opposite the main temple, stealing cash estimated at Rs50,000 to Rs60,000.

Following the theft, Faraskhana Police teams examined CCTV footage from the temple and various roads leading to and from the premises. Police tracked the suspect's movements during the time of the theft and identified him as Sangram Rajendra Jadhav, 29, a resident of Gadhinglaj in Kolhapur. He was taken into custody and, during questioning, allegedly confessed to committing the theft. Police said the case was cracked within around eight hours of the investigation being launched.