Swargate Police have arrested a man involved in stealing cash from a temple donation box in the Mukund Nagar area, officials said on Saturday.
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On the morning of May 23, 2025, around 4:30am, an unidentified person broke into the Suryamukhi Chandni Amba Mata Temple in Mukund Nagar by forcefully breaking the entrance door. He stole cash from the donation box. Following a complaint by the temple committee, a case was registered under Sections 305(A), 324(4), and 331(4) of the Indian Penal Code.
CCTV footage from the temple helped identify the suspect.
On May 30, 2025, around 10am, while the investigation team was scanning the Swargate ST Stand area for suspects matching the CCTV description, they noticed a man resembling the thief. The man attempted to flee upon seeing constables Shankar Sampat and Sagar Kekan but was apprehended with the help of other staff.
Upon interrogation, the suspect identified himself as Mahadev Tukaram Giramkar, 42, a farmer residing in Ahilyanagar district. Upon searching, police found ₹38,400 in cash and tools, including a hammer, scissors, a screwdriver and two axes in his possession.
He was immediately taken to Swargate Police Station for further questioning, during which he confessed to the theft at the Mukund Nagar temple and admitted that the stolen amount was from the donation box. The tools used in the theft were also seized.
The successful operation was carried out under the guidance of Amitesh Kumar (Police Commissioner, Pune City), Rajan Kumar Sharma (Joint Commissioner of Police, Pune City), Rajesh Bansode (Additional Commissioner of Police, Western Region, Pune City), Patil (Deputy Commissioner of Police, Zone 2, Pune City), and Rahul Aware (Assistant Commissioner of Police, Swargate Division, Pune City).
The investigation team included Police Inspector Rahul Kolambikar, Sub-Inspectors Ravindra Kargate and Shailesh Alete, and constables Shankar Sampat, Sagar Kekan, Anuba Morale, Harshal Shinde, Sujay Pawar, Sandeep Ghule, Firoz Shaikh, Ramesh Ashan, Deepak Khedad, Prashant Tompe and Hanumant Dudhe. Their coordinated efforts led to solving the case and recovering the stolen items.
