Pune: Several people who visited the old city areas on Tuesday and Wednesday to witness Ganapati immersion either lost their phones or found them stolen. Deputy commissioner of police (Zone I) Sandeep Singh Gill said, "We have recorded a large number of mobile thefts and loss complaints." "We have received online as well as offline (in person) complaints from people, and we are verifying the online complaints," Gill said.
All roads, including Laxmi, Tilak, Shivaji, Kumthekar, Kelkar, and Lal Bahadur Shashtri Roads, were crowded, and people were pushing each other to watch chariots of Ganapati mandals. On Wednesday and Thursday, a large number of people visited Khadak, Vishrambaug, Faraskhana, Deccan Gymkhana, and Shivajinagar police stations with their complaints. "We are studying the CCTV footage of various different chowks and roads in the city and also checking the mobile phone records to track down the stolen or lost mobile phones ," Gill said.
Till Thursday evening, Vishrambaug police received 91 complaints, Faraskhana police 55 complaints, while Deccan Gymkhana police had received 12 complaints of mobile thefts and loss. Meanwhile, Faraskhana police arrested Faisal Aziz Khan (22) of Manmad in Nashik and Kalu Raju Pardhi (25) of Ausangabad district in Madhya Pradesh on Wednesday and recovered 21 mobile phones worth Rs 2.79 lakh.
"The duo stole mobile phones of persons who visited to watch the Ganapati procession at Belbaug Chowk and Shivaji Road," said senior inspector P.