On the day when major Ganpati pandals welcomed Bappa (an affectionate term for Lord Ganesha) in the Lalbaug area of Kalachowki, the police registered 11 First Information Reports (FIRs) against unknown individuals for allegedly snatching mobile phones and gold jewelry from devotees and spectators. During the ‘aagman’ procession on Saturday—the ceremonial arrival of Lord Ganesha’s idol—which drew a large crowd, mobile phones and gold jewelry worth a total of Rs. 13.15 lakh were reported lost, police said on Sunday morning.
All the FIRs were registered by the Kalachowki police late Saturday night after the ‘aagman’ procession concluded in the locality. Most complainants initially approached the police stationed at the procession, who were on bandobast duty to maintain law and order. They were directed to Kalachowki police station.
According to the police, their jurisdiction includes two major Ganpati pandals—Chintamani cha Raja and Lalbaug cha Raja—both of which attract large crowds throughout the Ganpati season. On Saturday, during the ‘aagman’ procession for Chintamani cha Raja, a significant crowd accompanied the idol. The procession passed under the Chinchpokli bridge near Ganesh Talkies, where most of the snatching incidents occurred, the police said.
The crowd gathered at the ‘aagman’ procession for Chintamani cha Raja | FPJ/ Vijay Gohil
Police officials noted that despite the heavy bandobast, it was impossible to monitor every individual's activity due to the size of the crowd. “Most of the reported snatchings were similar to pickpocketing. Victims mentioned they didn’t realize when their phones were taken from their pant pockets as they were focused on praying to the Ganpati idol passing by. Many also said they were mesmerized by the idol, and the loud music during the procession kept them distracted, making it difficult to notice anything else,” said a police official who was part of the bandobast.
Saurabh Mendukar, a resident of Navi Mumbai, said, “I noticed the huge crowd around me and thought it would be safer to keep my gold chain inside my bag to avoid any untoward incident. But when I touched my neck to remove the chain, it was already gone. I have no idea when or how it disappeared.” His gold chain weighed 10 grams and was worth over Rs. 50,000.
Rakesh More, 43, a resident of Kalyan, who had come with his family to participate in the ‘aagman’ procession, promptly alerted the police after an unknown man snatched his gold chain and attempted to flee. More's quick action led to the arrest of Sunil Maske, a resident of Ahmednagar, who had allegedly come to the Chinchpokli area to steal gold chains for quick money.
In total, mobile phones worth Rs. 5,21,000 and gold jewelry worth Rs. 7,94,000—amounting to Rs. 13,15,000—were reported lost. Police officials encouraged anyone who lost their belongings during the procession or otherwise to visit the police station. “Typically, more people come forward to file complaints in the next two days. So far, we have registered 11 FIRs, each with multiple complainants. We anticipate more victims will come forward today and tomorrow (Monday),” said an official.
