Bhopal Reports 40 Thefts At Temples And Mosques In Six Months

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): A spate of thefts at religious places has been witnessed, with 40 thefts reported at temples and mosques in last six months. In the last one week alone, two temples and two mosques have been targeted, with thieves escaping with silver crowns, ornaments and cash worth nearly Rs 3 lakh.

The latest incident was reported from Hanumant Seva Ashram in Shivaji Nagar under MP Nagar police station limits.

A silver crown adorning the idol of Ram Darbar was stolen on July 30. The complaint was lodged by temple caretaker Nitesh Kumar Sharma.

Earlier, a silver crown worth Rs 75,000 was stolen from a temple in the 10 Number area under Habibganj police station. Separate thefts were also reported at mosques in Ashoka Garden and Arera Hills.

In the Arera Hills case, the accused allegedly broke open a donation box and fled with cash. Though CCTV footage captured a suspect, police are yet to make a breakthrough in any of these four cases.

on July 29, Shahpura police have arrested 42-year-old Pramod Rajput, a resident of Kasturba Nagar in Govindpura, for a theft at Siddheshwar Hanuman Temple in Laxman Nagar. Silver utensils and other worship items had been stolen from the temple.

Using CCTV footage, police tracked down the accused and recovered the stolen property. During interrogation, Rajput allegedly confessed to committing thefts in Habibganj, MP Nagar and Shyamla Hills areas as well.

Police officials believe the incidents are not the handiwork of a single organised gang. They suspect local drug addicts and habitual petty offenders are taking advantage of opportunities to target religious places.