Civic officials planted saplings on road dividers in Nagpur (Representational)

Nagpur:

Police have arrested two youths for allegedly stealing pot plants planted on a road here as part of a beautification drive ahead of the G20 meetings.

A video showing the accused carrying a plant from a pot in a BMW car had gone viral on social media.

Inspector Mangesh Kale of the city’s Rana Pratap Nagar police station said that both the accused, aged 25 and 22, are residents of Nagpur.

He said the civic authorities planted potted saplings on the road divider from Chhatrapati Chowk to Hotel Radisson Blu on Wednesday afternoon as part of arrangements to welcome the delegates for the G20 meetings.

The city will host the G20 meetings from 20 to 22 March.

The CCTV footage showed the accused coming in a BMW late on Wednesday night and carrying three saplings in the boot of the car.

The officer said that after the video went viral, the police registered an FIR under the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act along with theft and identified the car and the accused from the CCTV footage.

The two were produced before a magistrate on Thursday, who remanded them to judicial custody, he said.

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