Pune Rural Police Bust Theft Gangs, Solve 23 Cases; Stolen Property Worth ₹46 Lakh Recovered
· Free Press Journal
Pune: The Pune Rural Police have busted two theft gangs and solved 23 cases, recovering stolen valuables worth around Rs 46 lakh, officials said on Saturday.
The action was carried out by the Local Crime Branch (LCB) of the Pune Rural Police Force, which arrested members of two habitual criminal gangs involved in robbery, chain-snatching, housebreaking, and theft. The recovered property includes around 32 tolas of gold ornaments along with vehicles and other valuables.
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Police said the crackdown followed a review of theft cases registered in 2025–26. Officers were instructed to closely monitor known offenders and track their activities. Special teams were then formed to investigate recent crimes.
Teams visited multiple crime scenes, checked CCTV footage, and gathered inputs from complainants and witnesses. Based on this, police identified patterns in the crimes and zeroed in on suspects.
In the first operation, two accused from Manchar, named Harshal Tandale (25) and Mahesh Mangalvedhekar (25), were detained on April 16 from the Pondevadi Phata area under Paragaon police station limits. During questioning, both confessed to several offences.
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Police recovered around 20 tolas of gold jewellery, a Pulsar motorcycle, and other stolen items worth nearly ₹29 lakh from them. Cases registered at police stations in Narayangaon, Manchar, Ghodegaon, Paragaon, Alephata, and Junnar have been solved.
Superintendent of Police Sandeep Singh Gill said Tandale is a repeat offender with seven previous cases. He had earlier been externed from the Pune district for one year in January 2026. His associate, Mangalvedhekar, also has two serious cases registered against him.
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In a separate operation, police arrested another accused, Piyush Nanavat (19), a resident of Kamshet. He was detained after surveillance based on a tip-off. During interrogation, it was found that he had recently been released from a juvenile correction home and was involved in multiple chain-snatching and robbery cases along with two minors.
Police recovered around 12 tolas of gold ornaments and a motorcycle worth ₹17 lakh from him. Several cases across police stations in Uruli Kanchan, Lonavala Rural, Vadgaon Maval, Shirur, Baramati, Bhor, Saswad, Velha, Rajgad, and Daund have been solved.
Officials said Nanavat already has four cases of robbery, chain-snatching, and theft registered against him. Further investigation is underway, and police said more arrests are likely in connection with the gangs.