Devotees, many of them youngsters, had their phones snatched while wading through the sea of people near Hindustani Masjid on N.M. Joshi Marg, in Byculla, between 9 pm and 11 pm

Among the first successful bidders was Nagesh Desai, a resident of Mulund, who purchased a 56-gram silver Ganpati idol for Rs 50,000, after bidding opened at Rs 5,000. “I wanted to be the first to win something in the auction, and I was ready to bid any amount for it,” Desai told mid-day.com