Valuables worth ₹20-25 lakh missing from PMC chief’s bungalow; probe ordered

The incident came to light when newly appointed commissioner Naval Kishore Ram was set to move in and civic staff opened the premises for inspection last month

Civic chief Naval Kishore Ram has on Wednesday ordered a probe after valuable items estimated to be worth ₹20–25 lakh—including antique bronze lamps, chandeliers, AC units, and LED TVs—have gone missing from the official bungalow of the Pune Municipal Commissioner in Model Colony.

The bungalow had remained locked for nearly six weeks. During a routine check, several items were found missing. (REPRESENTATIVE PHOTO)

The incident came to light when newly appointed commissioner Naval Kishore Ram was set to move in and civic staff opened the premises for inspection last month.

The bungalow had remained locked for nearly six weeks. During a routine check, several items were found missing. The matter surfaced publicly on Tuesday after the Electrical Department floated a tender to purchase new items for the commissioner’s residence. Instead of reporting the missing items, civic officials reportedly attempted to quietly replace them, prompting questions about transparency and internal accountability.

The Shivajinagar-Ghole Road regional office issued fresh tenders to repurchase the lost items, triggering further scrutiny from civic activists.

Despite the bungalow being under 24x7 security and CCTV surveillance, the disappearance of such high-value items went undetected. The Electrical Department has claimed the items weren’t stolen but stored elsewhere—though no details or inventory records have been provided to back the claim.

Responding to the controversy, commissioner Ram said, “No department can escape responsibility. The Building Department is in charge of maintaining the property. A detailed investigation will be conducted to determine what exactly happened.”

Civic activist Vivek Velankar called the incident “deeply shocking” and questioned the safety and accountability mechanisms within the civic body. “If the municipal commissioner’s own residence isn’t secure, what can common citizens expect? A formal police complaint must be filed, and a CID inquiry initiated. Internal involvement cannot be ruled out,” he said.

As of Wednesday evening, PMC had not confirmed whether an official police complaint had been filed. Senior officials have remained tight-lipped, and no departmental accountability has yet been fixed.