Child’s hearing aid worth ₹6 lakh forgotten in rickshaw;

Lokmat News Network

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar

A foreign-made hearing aid worth nearly ₹6 lakh, received for a child’s ongoing treatment, was accidentally left in a rickshaw by the mother. Questions immediately arose for the couple who would return the device, and how could they get it back? They sent a message to commissioner of police Pravin Pawar via WhatsApp requesting help. Following this, the crime branch examined 32 CCTV cameras and traced the rickshaw, returning the hearing aid, a mobile phone, and a bag containing ₹1,000 cash to the family within 24 hours, bringing smiles to their child’s face.

The family, Priya Vikrant Wankhede (24) from Jamgaon, Akola, lives in Bajajnagar with her husband due to his job. Both work in a company. Their three-year-old child is undergoing treatment for hearing, with speech therapy at doctors in Samarthnagar. Priya regularly accompanies her child for hospital visits. A few months ago, under a scheme, they received an Australian-made hearing aid worth nearly ₹6 lakh, which has been of great help to their child. On the afternoon of the 18th, Priya went to Samarthnagar with her child for speech therapy, leaving the device in the rickshaw by mistake.

After informing her husband, the anxious Wankhede couple reached out to commissioner of police Pravin Pawar on WhatsApp, seeking urgent help. Recognising the seriousness, the commissioner instructed senior police inspector Gajanan Kalyankar of the crime branch to provide maximum assistance to the couple.

More than 32 CCTV cameras

Following Kalyankar’s instructions, crime branch officers assistant police inspector Ravikant Gacche, constables Siddharth Thorat, Vijay Ghuge, and Yashwant Gobade began tracing the rickshaw along the Waluj–Samarthnagar route using CCTV footage. When the rickshaw number was captured near A.S. Club, they tracked it to the Baba Chowk–Railway Station area. Within 24 hours, the driver was located, and the Wankhede family’s purse was recovered along with the hearing aid. Expressing their joy through tears, the Wankhede couple thanked the police for their prompt assistance.

Photo caption: The hearing aid worth ₹6 lakh that was left in a rickshaw has been recovered by the police.