LPU Uni mall looting leaves ₹90 lakh loss as PS5s, iPhones and Prada perfumes stolen

The violent protests at Lovely Professional University (LPU) in Punjab’s Phagwara escalated into widespread vandalism and looting at the university’s Uni Mall, with expensive electronics, mobile phones, perfumes and cash reportedly stolen from several shops. According to a ground report by The Lallantop, some shopkeepers estimated their losses at tens of lakhs of rupees.

Among the items reportedly taken were Sony PlayStation 5 consoles, laptops, smartphones, electronic accessories and high-end perfumes. The Sony PS5 Slim Disc Edition is listed at around ₹54,990 in India, although actual retail prices can vary. Viral videos from the campus showed people carrying away PS5 consoles and other electronic goods during the unrest.

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One departmental store manager told The Lallantop that approximately ₹6-7 lakh in cash was missing from the store counter. He estimated the store's overall loss at around ₹80-90 lakh, including inventory worth approximately ₹70-80 lakh.

High-end perfumes were also among the items allegedly looted. According to the report, some perfumes were priced between ₹15,000 and ₹17,000, including products from brands such as Prada and Armani. The shopkeeper said these premium products were taken along with other merchandise.

Electronics retailers also reported substantial losses. One mobile phone shopkeeper said new phones, second-hand devices and even customers’ phones left at the store for repairs were taken. Around ₹2 lakh in cash was reportedly stolen from the counter. The shopkeeper estimated the total loss at more than ₹50 lakh. A repair microscope worth around ₹70,000 was also damaged.

The damage was not limited to merchandise. Shopkeepers said laptops, servers, digital video recorders and surveillance equipment were also taken. In one shop, a 512GB memory card from a security camera was reportedly removed, raising questions about whether those involved knew where surveillance data was stored.

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Interestingly, bookstores and stationery outlets inside Uni Mall were largely left untouched even as electronics and other stores were ransacked. A person quoted in the report said books were not taken because they were considered of little use to those involved.

The looting occurred amid violent protests that followed allegations of sexual assault involving a female student. LPU denied the allegations as false and fabricated, while police registered a case and formed a Special Investigation Team. The university has also begun examining CCTV footage, with around 30-40 students reportedly under scrutiny for alleged involvement in the violence. It has not been independently established that all those involved in the looting were LPU students.