Pune crime branch arrests two Tamil Nadu men for PG thefts, solves eight cases

The crime branch of the Pune City Police has arrested two men from Tamil Nadu, who are accused of stealing laptops, expensive mobile phones and other electronic goods from paying guest (PG) accommodations in the city. The arrests have solved eight theft cases registered at the Hadapsar, Kharadi and Chandannagar police stations. Police have also recovered stolen goods worth Rs 5.5 lakh.

The action was taken by Robbery and Vehicle Theft Prevention Squad 2 of the crime branch. Both accused were caught on October 31 near the Gadital area of Hadapsar. They have been identified as Kumar Mariyappan (33) and Krishna Olodan (25). Both are originally from Ambur in Tamil Nadu and were living in Yavat in Daund taluka of Pune district.

Senior Police Inspector Anjum Bagwan said thefts in the city's PGs were rising, with students and IT professionals in particular being targeted. Two special teams were formed for this reason.

The first lead came from a theft case registered at Hadapsar police station (FIR No. 701/2026), in which laptops, mobile phones and electronic equipment worth Rs 2.10 lakh were stolen. Police went through CCTV footage from nearby areas and also gathered confidential information, which led them to the two men.

During questioning, the accused allegedly confessed to the Hadapsar theft. Further investigation linked them to several more thefts in Kharadi and Chandannagar. They also told police that they had hidden the stolen goods at their home in Yavat.

Police searched the house in the presence of panch witnesses and recovered laptops, mobile phones and other electronic items worth Rs 5.5 lakh. The recovery revealed a total of eight cases, of which one was registered in Hadapsar, five in Kharadi and two in Chandannagar.

Bagwan said the two allegedly travelled from Tamil Nadu to Pune only to commit thefts. They rented rooms in rural areas around Pune and came into the city early in the morning. They then went to PGs housing students and IT professionals. When they found room doors open and unlocked, they allegedly went in and took laptops and expensive phones. It is alleged that after collecting the goods, they returned to Tamil Nadu and sold them there.

The operation was carried out under the guidance of Pune Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar, Joint Commissioner of Police Sanjay Daradde, Additional Commissioner of Police (Crime) Tejasvi Satpute, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Gauhar Hasan and Assistant Commissioner of Police Shankar Khatke of Crime Branch 3.

The team included Senior Police Inspector Anjum Bagwan, Police Sub-Inspector Santosh Tanwade, Assistant Police Sub-Inspector Jotiba Kurale, and Police Head Constables Paresh Sawant, Mahesh Barwakar and Rupali Suryawanshi. Constables Sachin Kamble, Prafull More and Vinayak Yewle were also part of the team.