Pune: During a live concert by British singer Alan Walker in Kharadi, thieves exploited the crowd and managed to steal 36 mobile phones.
Chandan Nagar Police have arrested four individuals believed to be part of a gang operating out of Mumbai and Hyderabad in connection with the theft.
The arrested suspects are Syed Mohammad Idris Sheikh (21) from Mumbai, Akhil Venkataramana Godavari (24) from Hyderabad, Lokesh Hanumant Pujari (31) from Mumbai, and Pappu Bhagirathi Vaishya (24) from Mumbai.
The concert took place on October 18 at the New English Phoenix School ground in Kharadi. Using the opportunity presented by the large crowd, the suspects stole mobile phones valued at approximately ₹4.87 lakh.
Several attendees filed complaints with the Chandan Nagar Police, leading to an investigation that resulted in the detention of four suspects.
Police have successfully recovered 14 stolen mobile phones so far, and efforts are ongoing to locate other members of the gang, as stated by Senior Police Inspector Sanjay Chavan.
After performances in Mumbai, Pune, Kochi, and Delhi-NCR, the singer was scheduled for a show in Hyderabad. However, the organisers were unable to secure the necessary permits, resulting in the cancellation of the concert.
Alan Walker addressed the situation on his Instagram, stating, “Hyderabad, I was really excited to return with my Walkerworld experience, but unfortunately, we couldn’t obtain the required permissions to host the concert.”
He explained that the organisers had proposed an alcohol-free event, but the authorities did not approve this plan either. “Despite our best efforts, we had no choice but to cancel the show,” he added.