Seventeen people have been arrested by the Kalachowki police, in separate cases, for stealing valuable items from citizens who had gathered to bid farewell to the Lalbaughcha Raja Ganpati on Thursday night.
A total of 13 first information reports (FIR) have been registered by the police, and more are expected to approach them in the next 2-3 days, said the police. Along with reports of 85 mobile phones being stolen, several have also reported about their gold chains being snatched as well.
A 55-year-old woman, Anuradha Pathak, a resident of Mankhurd, had come to Lalbaugh to see the immersion of Ganpati and said her mangalsutra worth ₹40,000 was snatched by someone in the huge crowd. Similarly, Hrushikesh Dhodke, 25, a resident of Lower Parel lost his gold chain worth ₹36,000, at the same place. Suvarna Sawant, a resident of Kalachowki, lost her mangalsutra worth ₹55,000 at the same place, said the police.
Many devotees also lost other items like wallets, debit cards, and cash, said the police. 58-year-old Tukaram Gurav, a resident of Sewri, lost his wallet which had an Aadhar Card, and cash, when he was passing by Ganesh Galli on Thursday. Geeta Mali, a resident of Kandivali lost her two mobile phones when she was part of the Lalbaugh immersion procession. Similarly, Prince Prajapathi from Kurla lost his mobile worth ₹20,000.
Phones worth thousands stolen
Swapnil Patil, from Palghar had come to witness the mighty Lalbaugh iPhone worth ₹65,000. Likewise, Bhavesh Malhotra from Malhotra, lost his recently purchased iPhone 14, worth ₹80,000, at the same place.
The police further added that they have registered 13 FIRs, in which till now, 17 have been arrested, and they also managed to recover some of the stolen items, worth ₹3.96 lakhs. Out of the 13 FIRs, 11 have been detected successfully. All the arrested accused were presented in a local court on Friday, which remanded them to three days of police custody.
More complaints expected in coming days
"More people are approaching and we request people to register a case if they have lost any of their valuables," said an official, adding that more complaints are expected in the next 2-3 days. On the day of visarjan, a heavy number of cops were deployed, who mixed among the citizens. Many cases of theft and snatching were caught red-handed by the cops on duty.
