Navi Mumbai Police Recover Stolen Property Worth ₹2.25 Crore in Major Drives

NAVI MUMBAI: In a significant effort to combat theft and property loss, the Navi Mumbai Police have returned stolen and lost property worth over ₹2.25 crore in recent drives. This brings the total restitution since September 2025 to more than ₹3.8 crore.

The recovery was carried out through coordinated drives across multiple zones, with two major handover programmes held in Panvel division (Zone 3) and CBD Belapur division (Zone 2), covering dozens of theft and missing property cases.

In the Panvel division, police returned property worth ₹1.57 crore linked to cases registered at Panvel City, Panvel Taluka, and Khandeshwar police stations. The recovered items included 580 grams of gold jewellery worth ₹59.55 lakh, 23 cars worth ₹89 lakh, eight two-wheelers worth ₹1.84 lakh, and 42 mobile phones worth ₹7.25 lakh.

The operation was conducted under the guidance of Police Commissioner Milind Bharambe, Joint Commissioner Sanjay Yenpure, and DCP (Zone 3) Prashant Mohite, with ACP Bhausaheb Dhole leading the drive.

In CBD Belapur division, property worth ₹68.58 lakh was returned in connection with 29 crime cases and 28 missing reports across Nerul, CBD Belapur, NRI Coastal, and Airport police stations. The items included gold and silver ornaments, 13 vehicles, and 37 mobile phones.

The handover was conducted at the Nerul police station under the supervision of DCP (Zone 2) Amit Kale and ACP Mayur Bhujbal.

Officers also issued a preventive advisory, urging housing societies to maintain functional CCTV systems. “We have seen instances where unverified personnel were involved in thefts. Citizens should also avoid keeping large quantities of gold or cash unattended at home,” Dhole said.

Police stated that improved coordination, technical surveillance, and timely reporting have significantly boosted recovery outcomes. They added that detection rates for property offences have risen to around 80%, with total recoveries exceeding ₹18.30 crore in the 2025-26 financial year.

Several beneficiaries expressed relief and said the recoveries restored not just valuables but also confidence in policing. In one case, a woman whose mangalsutra was snatched said she had little hope of getting it back, but credited prompt response and investigation for its recovery.

“Everyone told me you never get such things back. But this had emotional value—my father, a former police officer, bought it with his retirement money,” she said. In another case, Vibha Vijay Dhuri said two stolen gold bangles were recovered within a month.