Mumbai Police have returned lost and stolen valuables, including gold jewellery and mobile phones, worth over Rs 13 crore to their rightful owners across the city, officials said on Wednesday, reported the PTI.

The initiative was part of a recovery campaign launched by the city cops since the beginning of the Diwali festival, an official said.

The police official said that a grand ceremony was organised at the Mukesh Patel Auditorium in Vile Parle, where valuables worth Rs 6.45 crore, recovered by police Zones 9 and 10, were handed over to citizens, bringing smiles to their faces.

As they got back their mobile phones, jewellery, vehicles, and watches, the delighted owners described the event as a `Diwali gift` from the police, the official said.

In Zones 3, 4, and 5 in central Mumbai, a similar initiative resulted in the return of 1,464 stolen mobile phones valued at nearly Rs 3 crore, along with gold and silver ornaments worth Rs 21.87 lakh, according to the PTI.

More than 350 recipients personally collected their belongings, he said.

In Zone 12, which covers the Dahisar area, the cops recovered 689 mobile phones, 2.25 kilograms of gold jewellery, and several vehicles, while Zone 8 traced valuables worth Rs 1.66 crore, including 202 missing mobiles and electronic gadgets, he said.

In Zone 2 in south Mumbai, the police handed over assets worth Rs 1.10 crore, including cash, mobile phones and gold, whereas in Zone 6, which has jurisdiction over the eastern suburbs, over 8,000 phones were tracked, recovered and returned to their rightful owners.

Senior officials said the campaign was aimed at spreading happiness and building trust between the public and police, the news agency reported.

Last week, the police had on Saturday said that it recovered as many as 800 stolen and lost mobile phones and returned all to their rightful owners. 

According to the officials, a special event was held by the Eastern Region Police of Mumbai. The event was organised at the Grand Banquet Hall, Universal Majestic Building near RBK International School in Govandi area.

The police said that the items were recovered from various cases registered under the police stations in Zone 6 of the Mumbai Police under the jurisdiction of Eastern Region.

“The distribution ceremony was held to reunite citizens with their stolen property in a transparent and efficient manner,” said an official.

The event was conducted under the guidance of Dr Mahesh Patil, Additional Commissioner of Police, Eastern Region, Mumbai. Also present were Sameer Shaikh, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Zone 6, all Assistant Commissioners, Senior Police Inspectors from police stations in Zone 6, and cybercrime officials.

They handed over the recovered items to the original owners.

“The event highlighted the effective investigation and recovery efforts of Mumbai Police and the growing role of cyber and technical teams in tracking stolen property,” said the police official.

(with PTI inputs)

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