Pune: Crime Branch Police Unravelled Temple Donation Box Theft Using CCTV Footage; Arrest Main Accused and Two Minor Children

Pune: In a significant breakthrough, the Crime Branch Unit 1 of Pune police successfully detained a 19-year-old accused, Sahil Ashok Mane, and two minors involved in a series of temple donation box thefts across the city. The arrests were made after police meticulously tracked down a motorcycle captured in CCTV footage from multiple crime scenes.

The accused, Sahil Mane, a resident of Indira Vasahat, Aundh, along with his two minor accomplices, were implicated in thefts at several temples, including Sant Tukaram Paduka Mandir, Devi Mandir at Shanipar Chowk, and the Ganpati temple of Pragatisheel Mitra Mandal in Narayan Peth. Their method involved the theft of a motorcycle to carry out their crimes and then returning it to its original location after the thefts were committed.

As per the information, Mane and his minor accomplices would use duplicate keys to steal a two-wheeler, usually parked in the vicinity of their target temples, during the night. They would then proceed to steal donation boxes from the temples, making off with the stolen money. After the thefts, they would return the motorcycle to its original parking spot, leaving the vehicle’s owner unaware that it had been used in a crime.

As the number of thefts in the city began to rise, Senior Inspector Shabbir Syed of Crime Branch Unit 1 formed a dedicated team to crack the case. The team, comprising officers Ashish Kavthekar, Police Ammaldar Nilesh Sable, Datta Sonawane, Mahesh Bamgude, and Mahendra Tupsundar, reviewed CCTV footage from 200 to 250 locations near the affected temples.

During the CCTV checkup, they noticed a specific motorcycle that appeared at multiple theft sites. Investigating further, the police traced the bike’s registration number to its owner. Upon questioning, the owner revealed that he was acquainted with the two minor suspects but had no idea that his motorcycle had been used in the thefts.

The police then detained the two minors from Indira Vasahat, where they confessed to their involvement in the crimes, along with Sahil Mane. Following their confession, Mane was also apprehended.

Senior Police Inspector Shabbir Syed praised the diligence of his team, highlighting how crucial the extensive CCTV analysis was to cracking the case. “After checking footage from hundreds of locations, we managed to identify the motorcycle used in the thefts. The bike owner had no idea his vehicle was being used for such activities. The thief used a fake key to take the motorcycle at night and returned it to the same spot after committing the thefts,” Syed explained.

This action was taken by the team of Senior Police Inspector Shabbir Syed, Assistant Police Inspector Ashish Kavthekar, Police Ammaldar Datta Sonawane, Nilesh Sable, Mahesh Bamgude, Mahendra Tupsunder, Anna Mane, Shashikant Darekar, Abhinav Ladkat, Vitthal Salukhe, and Ruksana Nadaf under the guidance of Additional Commissioner of Police Shailesh Balakawade, Deputy Commissioner of Police Nikhil Pingle, and Assistant Commissioner of Police Ganesh Ingle.