The Pune Police Commissioner, Amitesh Kumar, unveiled the city's annual crime report for 2025 on Monday, revealing a mixed picture. While the city grappled with a noticeable increase in property crimes like chain snatching and house break-ins, there was a silver lining in the form of a slight reduction in crimes against women, including rape.
Spike in Property Crimes Under New Legal Framework
The data indicates a concerning trend in street-level property offences. Chain-snatching cases rose to 127 in 2025 from 103 the previous year. Similarly, house break-ins increased to 528 from 512. Commissioner Kumar attributed the sharp rise in chain-snatching statistics partly to a change in legal classification. "Previously, chain snatching was often recorded under theft or robbery. Now, with the introduction of Section 304 under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), all chain-snatching cases are registered under this specific section, which accounts for the rise," he explained.
When questioned if the soaring prices of gold were a potential motivator behind the increase in these crimes, Kumar maintained a neutral stance, stating, "We cannot comment specifically on that. All cases were registered promptly and without bias." Meanwhile, other street crimes such as robberies and dacoities remained largely unchanged compared to 2024.
Proactive Policing and Tech-Driven Crackdowns
Highlighting the force's proactive strategies, Commissioner Kumar pointed to visible policing and an expanded CCTV network as key deterrents. "We leveraged technology to track criminals online and conducted regular checks at their residences," he said. These measures seem to have paid off in other areas. The number of 'other thefts'—such as those on buses or roads—dropped significantly to 1,143 cases in 2025 from 1,522 in 2024.
The police also demonstrated efficiency in recovering stolen assets. Stolen property worth Rs 12.71 crores was recovered in 2025, a substantial increase from Rs 8.79 crores recovered in 2024. Cheating cases, including financial frauds, also saw a decline from 1,813 cases in 2024 to 1,459 in 2025. Kumar credited this reduction to timely interventions like monitoring suspicious investment seminars and multi-level marketing events.
Major Actions Against Gangs and Illegal Activities
The police adopted a stringent approach against organized crime. MPDA (Maharashtra Prevention of Dangerous Activities) charges were invoked against 110 known criminals, up from 95 last year. A focused crackdown was launched against four major gangs—Andekar, Ghaywal, Marne, and Tipu Pathan—involving property seizure, demolition of illegal structures, arrests, and the filing of separate MCOCA (Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act) cases.
In a significant interstate operation, police raided Umrati village in Madhya Pradesh and destroyed illegal units manufacturing firearms. The force's efforts led to the seizure of 259 firearms and 359 sharp weapons. Vehicle vandalism cases reduced from 89 in 2024 to 62 in 2025.
The war on drugs intensified markedly. In 2025, 215 drug-related cases were registered, with narcotics worth Rs 8.64 crores seized. This is a sharp operational focus compared to 2024, which saw 111 cases but an exceptionally high seizure value of over Rs 3679 crores, likely indicating one or more major busts that year. The number of MCOCA cases also rose from 48 in 2024 to 52 in 2025.
Overall, the 2025 crime report paints a picture of a police force adapting to new legal codes and employing technology and aggressive action against gangs to tackle emerging crime patterns, even as certain property crimes show an upward trend.
