Temple break-in by three

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 23

Three masked men broke into a Sanatan Dharam temple in Sector 16 on Thursday night and made off with Rs 50,000 and silver articles, including ornaments, worth around Rs 5 lakh. Images of the accused were captured in CCTV cameras installed at the temple.

The theft came to light at night after which the police were informed.

Vajinder, a priest at the temple, said around 2 am, he received a call from another priest, Gajender, to inform that someone had bolted his door from outside. “I went to Gajender’s room and opened the door after which we went to the temple and found the locks of the temple broken and valuables, including silver ornaments, missing,” he said.

The miscreants broke the locks of seven temples and stole silver ornaments, including seven crowns (mukuts), a “chhatar”, weighing around 1 kg, two “naths”, two “tikka” of gold idols and silver valuables from the Shiva temple.

The accused also managed to steal Rs 50,000 from cash boxes. The police scrutinised the footage of CCTV cameras installed in the temple and found that three persons, their faces covered, entered the temple from the corner gate at 1.20 am. The accused isconnected the wires of two CCTV cameras.

They then committed a theft in all seven temples in the compound. The accused left around 1.43 pm.

The police have registered a case of theft at the Sector 17 police station.