Watch: Thieves Seek Blessings Before Looting Pune Temple Donation Box

In a daring theft just meters away from the Dighi Police Station, unidentified thieves targeted the donation box at the Sai Temple in Pimpri-Chinchwad.

Shockingly, the culprits first took darshan before breaking open the box and stealing cash. The entire act was captured on CCTV, raising serious questions about security in the area.

The act took place on Saturday, July 12, in the afternoon hours while there were other people in the temple.

Same robbery last year

Last year, during the same month, a similar incident took place in Mumbai, where a thief broke into a temple and stole the crowns of deities — but not before offering prayers. The act was caught on CCTV and went viral.

The accused, Prakash Singh Varma (26), was later arrested by Mumbai Police the same day. All stolen items were recovered from him. In the video, Varma can be seen sneaking into the temple on the evening of July 10, bowing before the idols, and appearing to apologise before stealing metal crowns from the idols of Lord Vitthal and Goddess Rakhumai, along with other valuables.

Meeanwhile, five days after the sexual assault of a 17-year-old girl and robbery on a highway in Daund taluka of Maharashtra's Pune district, police last week arrested two men in connection with the case.

The duo was apprehended from Pune district.

The shocking incident had occurred in the wee hours on the highway near Bhigwan in Daund when a group of people was travelling in a car to the temple town of Pandharpur in neighbouring Solapur district.

The police said, as the driver of the car felt sleepy, he halted it near a tea stall on the highway around 4.15 am. When he stepped out to answer nature's call, two unidentified men approached the vehicle and threatened the occupants with sharp weapons and robbed gold jewellery. One of the accused then took the girl out of the car and sexually assaulted her.