Dagdusheth Ganpati pandal turns into a hotspot for thieves

While devotees stand in serpentine queues awaiting darshan of the Dagdusheth Halwai Ganapati, thieves have made the pandal a hotbed for stealing cash, mobile phones and jewellery

While devotees stand in serpentine queues awaiting darshan of the Dagdusheth Halwai Ganapati, thieves have made the pandal a hotbed for stealing cash, mobile phones and jewellery.

Large crowds seen near Dagdusheth Halwai Ganpati on Monday (HT PHOTO)

On Sunday itself, two FIRs were registered at the Vishrambaug police station. In one FIR, a woman, 33, from Kharadi, stated that her mobile phone worth Rs44,000 was stolen from her bag while she was waiting for darshan. She said that there was a heavy rush and it was only at about 6.30 pm that she realised that her mobile had gone missing. She suspected that a group of women roaming around her was responsible for the theft. In the other FIR, Vikas Nikalje, 30, from Bhumkar mala, said that an unknown person stole Rs2,000 in cash from his pocket at around 1.30 pm on Sunday while he was waiting for darshan in the pandal.

In a third incident, the complainant, Aklesh Jain, 38, from Kondhwa, said that he visited the Dagdusheth Halwai Ganapati pandal at about 11 am on August 31 and that unknown persons stole his mobile worth Rs19,491 while he was waiting for darshan. While these cases were reported, many other incidents of theft in and around the pandal went unreported.

In a separate incident, this one at the Chintamani Ganesh temple in Theur, Kalyani Rakh, 27, from Wagholi, told the police that she and her family members were busy seeking Ganesha’s blessings when someone stole her gold chain worth Rs14,000 which a child of the family was wearing. Rakh said that it was around 6 pm when she realised that the chain had gone missing.