Pune: A young man from Delhi, who had formed a casual acquaintance with a Pune resident through a mutual friend, was given shelter in the city to witness the Ganpati festival. Instead of enjoying the festivities, the guest allegedly stole valuables and money, fleeing with a total haul of ₹1,80,500.
The complainant, Bruhadish Harishkumar, a 27-year-old chef from Bavdhan, filed a police report at the Hinjewadi police station, accusing Deepakkumar Rakeshkumar, a 28-year-old from Delhi’s Vasant Kunj, of theft and fraud.
According to the complaint, the two met in Delhi through a mutual friend. During their meeting, Deepak expressed a desire to experience the Ganpati festival in Pune and eat traditional modaks. Bruhadish extended an invitation for Deepak to stay with him during the festival.
Deepak arrived in Pune on September 2nd and was hosted by Bruhadish at his Bavdhan residence. For the next four days, the complainant took him around the city, introducing him to various local attractions. During one of their shopping trips, Deepak allegedly memorized the password to Bruhadish's phone while observing him entering it.
On September 5th, after dinner, Deepak informed his host that he had a midnight flight and suggested he freshen up before leaving. Taking advantage of this distraction, Deepak allegedly stole Bruhadish’s iPhone, house keys, and car keys.
The complainant became suspicious when he heard his Bluetooth speaker announce, “Your phone is disconnected.” Rushing downstairs, the building’s watchman informed him that Deepak had left hurriedly in a rickshaw.
Upon returning to his apartment, Bruhadish found that ₹50,500 in cash had been stolen from his cupboard. He then used his laptop to check his emails, where he discovered two alerts from his bank: one notifying him that his transaction limit had been increased and another that his mobile phone had been disabled.
Acting quickly, he called the bank’s customer care using the watchman’s phone to freeze his debit account, but by the time the account was locked, Deepak had already withdrawn ₹1 lakh.
The total loss amounted to ₹1,80,500, including the iPhone, keys, cash, and the bank withdrawal. Despite the incident occurring on September 5th, the complaint was filed 10 days later. The case is currently under investigation by Police Sub-Inspector Dnyaneshwar Zhol.
