Stolen gold-plated urn worth Rs 40L from temple recovered

Two persons, including a 42-year-old woman, have been arrested in connection with the theft of a gold-plated kalash (urn) worth around Rs 40 lakh from a Jain temple in northeast Delhi’s Jyoti Nagar during the Karva Chauth celebrations, the police said on Monday.

The urn has also been recovered, but the “main burglar” remains at large, they added.

The accused - 42-year-old woman from Sundar Nagri and Danish (24) from New Mustafabad - are scrap dealers, according to an official.

The police received information about the theft on Saturday, following which a case under the relevant sections was registered, a senior police officer said.

During investigation, the woman was apprehended from the Sundar Nagri area, and parts of the stolen urn were recovered from her possession, the police said.

“During interrogation, she confessed to having purchased the stolen item from the burglar and led the police to another scrap dealer, Danish. The remaining parts of the urn were recovered from his shop,” the officer said.

The police said efforts were on to nab the main burglar. The theft came to light on Saturday morning when temple staff discovered that the urn, installed atop the spire, was missing.

CCTV footage showed a man climbing down a pole inside the temple premises after allegedly removing the urn on the intervening night of Friday and Saturday, when most residents in the area were busy with Karva Chauth celebrations.

The police said the stolen urn, made of ‘ashta dhatu’ (auspicious alloy of eight metals) and containing around 200 grams of gold, was worth approximately Rs 35-40 lakh.

The incident had led to concern among the Jain community as ceremonial items worth Rs 1.5 crore were also stolen last month during a religious procession near the Red Fort.