Pune: In the early hours of July 5 morning, unknown thieves broke into the homes of two pilgrims from Thorandale village, taking advantage of their absence as they participated in the Ashadhi Wari procession to Pandharpur. The break-ins occurred around 2 AM, but the thieves left empty-handed.
Kharmale Vasti is located to the east of Thorandale village. Jayaram Bhimaji Kharmale and Kailas Sudam Temgire, along with their spouses, have been going to Pandharpur with the village procession for Ashadhi Wari for many years. This year, both families went to Pandharpur with the procession.
Since the families were away, their houses were locked. The thieves took advantage of this and broke into the houses on Friday (5th) at dawn. They broke the locks of the doors and entered Jayaram Kharmale's house, breaking into two cupboards but failing to open the third one, thus leaving the gold items intact. They then entered Kailas Temgire's house and rifled through two cupboards but found nothing.
Neighbor Manohar Kharmale discovered the break-ins around 2:30 AM when he noticed his own house was unlocked. Upon alerting other residents, they found that the thieves had tampered with the locks of both neighboring homes. Manohar Kharmale quickly informed village Police Patil Vaishali Temgire of the incident.
Police Patil Vaishali Temgire reported the break-ins to the Manchar police station, prompting an investigation by police constable Nandkumar Aadhari, S.C. Bhoir, and Yogesh Rode.
Villagers believe that the gold items were saved by divine intervention, with many saying that Pandurang himself protected the valuables in the third cupboard. This belief has brought a sense of relief to the affected families and the community.
