Items worth Rs 12 lakh stolen during Dec 5 swearing-in ceremony; cops begin probe

Gold chains, mobile phones and cash cumulatively valued at Rs 12 lakh were stolen during the swearing-in ceremony of the Mahayuti government at the sprawling Azad Maidan in south Mumbai on December 5, a police official said on Sunday.

 

FIRs have been lodged against unidentified persons and efforts are on to nab the accused, the Azad Maidan police station official said.

 

The ceremony, in which BJP stalwart Devendra Fadnavis was sworn in as chief minister and Shiv Sena’s Eknath Shinde and NCP leader Ajit Pawar as his deputies, was a grand affair with top names of industry, cinema and politics in attendance, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

 

More than 4,000 police personnel were deployed at the venue and the vicinity to secure the event.

 

“The thieves, who stole gold chains, phones and picked wallets, took advantage of people exiting the event from gate number two. Personnel from the police station and Crime Branch are working to nab the accused. CCTV footage is being checked. No arrest has been made so far,” the official informed.