Mumbai: The Mumbai Police returned more than Rs 2.96 crore of stolen goods recovered in 187 criminal cases to their rightful owners on Tuesday evening at Mukesh Patel Auditorium, Juhu.
The recovered goods from cases of theft, robberies and cheating registered at 21 police stations of the Mumbai Police Western Region included 3,414 gm of gold jewellery amounting to Rs1.45 core, 2,599 gm of silver valued at Rs1.44 lakh, diamonds amounting to Rs2.53 lakhs, 17 auto-rickshaws, 15 two-wheelers, 68 laptops, and 372 cell phones, along with cash amounting to Rs 39.28 lakh.
According to Mumbai Police Commissioner Vivek Phansalkar, “As per procedure, when the police arrests an offender and recovers stolen goods an application has to be made in court by the original owners. When the court gives a nod the stolen valuables are returned to the rightful owners. The process sometimes is lengthy and it can take several years.”
Heaps of praises for Mumbai Police
Businessman Mukesh Gandhi was all praise for the Mumbai Police for the complete recovery of jewellery worth Rs47 lakh stolen from his Khar residence. “I had no faith in the police and always avoided them. I had no hope of getting back the stolen jewellery but I'm happy to be proven wrong,” an emotional Gandhi said after his belongings were returned to him by the police chief and Bollywood film director Rohit Shetty.
Another businessman, Dinesh Thacker had also given up on getting back Rs19.70 lakh in cash robbed from his office. “I was surprised to get a call to come and claim the cash. I'm grateful to all the policemen for keeping Mumbai safe,” he said with the cash in his hands.
Octogenarian Radhika Desai was at a loss for words after getting back her antique ancestral utensils, valued at over Rs10 lakh, stolen from her residence. She just gave a 'thumbs up' sign for the return of her precious memories associated with the utensils.
Additionally, over 19 auto-rickshaw drivers and owners were handed over the keys of their stolen vehicles. “The Mumbai Police initiative to return back stolenproperty to the rightful owners is very important as most had given up hopes of ever getting back their stolen goods. It builds confidence in the police force,” said Rohit Shetty.
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