Thieves Snatch ₹25 Lakh in Gold from Mourners at Ajit Pawar Funeral

Gold chains and other gold jewellery were robbed from roughly 15 mourners at the Vidya Pratishthan grounds in Baramati during the last rites of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, with the total loss estimated between Rs 25 lakh and Rs 30 lakh and some reports citing Rs 25 lakh specifically. PuneMirror reports the snatchings occurred on January 29 during the funeral proceedings that followed Mr. Pawar’s death in a plane crash on January 28.

The crowd that gathered to pay respects numbered in the lakhs, and the ceremony was conducted with full state honours at Vidya Pratishthan, where high-profile leaders attended. IndiaTV noted the presence of Union ministers Amit Shah and Nitin Gadkari, former Union minister Sharad Pawar, and BJP president Nitin Nabin among the dignitaries, and described the atmosphere as deeply emotional as mourners converged on Baramati.

Security was substantial in scale yet plainly breached: multiple outlets, including Daijiworld and ABP Live, reported that about 8,000 police personnel were deployed across Baramati for the event. Despite that deployment, thieves exploited the dense congregation to snatch necklaces from the necks of attendees, prompting immediate public outrage. IndiaTV reported, "This incident has caused widespread anger in Baramati city."

Law enforcement action followed: Baramati Taluka Police registered a case naming seven people, including Mohammad Yunus, Rajkumar Athawale, Ejaz Mirawale, Mohammad Siraj and Balu Botre, with Daijiworld reporting, "All those named in the case are currently being interrogated." PuneMirror added that "So far, six suspects have been detained, and police are looking for their accomplices," a detail that has not yet been reconciled publicly with the seven names listed in the FIR.

Witnesses and local citizens played an active role in apprehensions. Multiple reports say alert citizens caught several suspected thieves and, in some instances, beat them before handing them over to police, while other suspects were detained by officers at the scene. News ABP Live and IndiaTV both noted that gold chains were the principal targets, with roughly 15 victims affected.

For jewellery buyers and collectors the incident underlines a pragmatic risk: visible gold chains—valued here in the tens of lakhs—are both highly portable and quickly monetisable, which makes them prime targets in large public gatherings. Investigations are continuing into recovery of the stolen pieces, the precise charges listed in the FIR, and whether all seven named individuals are in custody; Daijiworld and PuneMirror report interrogations are under way but do not specify recoveries.

The thefts at Ajit Pawar’s state funeral have left a lingering question about crowd management and protection of personal valuables even at heavily policed, high-profile events. Baramati Taluka Police have filed the FIR and are interrogating the named suspects; the pace and outcome of the ongoing probe will determine whether any of the estimated Rs 25–30 lakh in jewellery is recovered and whether security procedures for similar occasions are revised.