A Bengaluru woman has claimed that dozens of mobile phones were stolen during the opening match of the Indian Premier League 2026 between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Sunrisers Hyderabad at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium.
The woman, identified as Ritu Tiwary, shared a video on social media describing how her husband’s phone was stolen during the match and alleged that several spectators faced a similar experience. The clip has since gained attention online and has crossed 296,000 views.
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In the video, Tiwary recounts the incident and warns people attending IPL matches to remain alert. She said, "So it's my request, please be careful with your phones if you're attending an IPL match because yesterday at least 50 to 60 phones were stolen alone from the P3 stand, including my husband's."
She explained that the theft came to light during the interval. "So my husband realized his phone was missing after first innings, when he went to bring us some drinking water. And at the same time, there were lots of people complaining about the same."
FIR filed after complaints at police station
{{/usCountry}}She explained that the theft came to light during the interval. "So my husband realized his phone was missing after first innings, when he went to bring us some drinking water. And at the same time, there were lots of people complaining about the same."
FIR filed after complaints at police station
{{/usCountry}}According to Tiwary, they initially approached the police present at the stadium but did not receive much assistance. She said, "Now we went to ask the stadium police for some help, but they were least interested. So we went back to the police station where there were lots of people complaining about the same."
She further claimed that an FIR was filed and that suspects had already been detained. "Now we lodged an FIR and they had already caught 10 to 12 kids and they were all minors dressed in jerseys and they also had complimentary tickets."
Tiwary alleged that the thefts appeared to be organised and not isolated incidents. "Now I think this is an organized crime because when I looked up on Google, the same thing happened at the Chennai and Wankhede stadium as well. So this is happening at all the IPL matches."
She added that many of the thefts occurred during the second innings when spectators left their seats briefly. "Most of this thing happened at the second innings when lots of people went out to get some drinking water or some refreshments."
Social media reactions pour in
The clip was shared with the caption, "This shouldn’t go unheard because it’s such an organised crime where so many phone’s were stolen and it’s such a breach of trust & security. I request Bangalore Police to take strict action against this and get hold of the belongings and criminals."
Watch the clip here:
The video sparked a wave of reactions online, with several users sharing their concerns about security at large sporting events. One user wrote, "This is scary. Stadiums need proper surveillance and crowd monitoring." Another said, "If so many phones were stolen from one stand, it definitely sounds organised."
A third user commented, "People usually leave their seats during innings breaks. That is probably when thieves target them." Another wrote, "Authorities should increase security checks during big IPL matches."
Yet another user said, "Hope the police recover the stolen phones soon." One more added, "This should be taken seriously because thousands attend these matches every day."
(Disclaimer: This report is based on user-generated content from social media. HT.com has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.)