Thieves’ temple run continues, target two more places in city

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, April 11

There is no stopping temple thefts in the city. A day after thieves struck at a temple in Sector 19, thefts from two temples in Sector 27 were reported on Wednesday where thieves made off with jewellery. The same gang of thieves is believed to be involved in all incidents.

The first incident was reported from the Sanatan Dharam temple in Sector 27, where thieves entered the temple at 1.40 am and left almost 30 minutes later at 2.09 am.

Sanjeev Sharma, general secretary of the temple management committee, said two thieves scaled the boundary wall and entered the temple from one of the corners.

After entering the temple, the accused changed the position of some CCTV cameras. Both accused then removed the glass window and entered the building. They then stole a silver sheet wrapped around the “Shivlingam”, weighing around 5 kg, and five “mukuts” (crowns) of 1 kg each.

In the meantime, the third accused entered the temple with a bag to fill the stolen articles, while the fourth accused waited outside the temple.

The theft came to light in the morning following which the police were informed. There are 24 CCTV cameras installed on the temple premises. The CCTV footage shows that all accused had their faces covered and one of them was wearing a cap. The accused did not remove their shoes while entering the temple.

The second theft was reported from the Digamber Jain temple opposite the Sanatan Dharam temple from where a “chattar”, weighing around 10 kg, was stolen.

Two miscreants entered the Jain temple after scaling the wall. They then broke the locks to climb up to the top of the Bahubali statue. The accused then stole the “chattar”. 

Karun Jain, secretary of the management committee of the temple, said the security guard had gone to washroom when the thieves arrived. The security guard saw two persons escaping with the “chhatar”. 

There are CCTV cameras installed at the temple in which two miscreants are seen walking. The police were informed about the incident, who rushed to the spot. 

The CCTV footage of both temples has been collected by the police. Two separate cases of theft have been registered at the Sector 26 police station. 

Timeline 

1.40 am: Thieves enter Sanatan Dharam temple in Sector 27 
2.09 am: They escape after stealing jewellery
2.12 am: Thieves enter the Digamber Jain temple
2.20 am: Escape after stealing a “chhatar”

Recent temple theft incidents 

• April 10: Thieves managed to steal artificial jewellery from a temple in Sector 19. 
• March 22: Three masked men entered the Sanatan Dharam temple in Sector 16 and stole silver articles, including ornaments, worth around Rs 5 lakh, and around Rs 50,000.
• January 8: Thieves broke into a temple in Sector 24 and made off with silver articles, including ornaments, with around Rs 12 lakh.