Mumbai: The Dahisar police have arrested three people for allegedly breaking into a temple and stealing the donation box – full of cash, and also the mobile phone of the treasurer of the temple – who was sleeping inside, said the police on Thursday.
The incident, according to the police, happened earlier last week. The matter surfaced when the treasurer of the temple approached the police – who then filed a complaint.
As per the complainant’s statement to the police, he was sleeping inside the premises of the temple as usual. When he woke up around 5 am, he found that his phone, kept next to his pillow, was missing. He immediately rushed to the place to check the wooden donation box, also called Daan Peti or Bhandara – that was missing too. Later he realised someone broke in when he saw the door knobs and locks dismantled at the temple entrance.
The incident happened at the temple located in the Shanti Nagar area of Dahisar East.
During the technical investigation, it was known to the police that there were three people involved in the crime. “We first managed to get the identity of the two suspects out of three from the intel. It was known that they are in the Dahisar Railway station premises – next to the vegetable market,” said an official.
Later, based on the tip-off, the police started laying traps to nab the two suspects and then finally managed to arrest the two. Both of them agreed to commit the crime.
“While interrogating the two accused, we got to know information on the third accused in the case – he was residing in the Mira Road area,” the official added. A team was sent to Mira Road to locate, and nab the accused.
The three accused are identified as Abbu Ahmed Khan, 22, Arjun Narsingh Vishwakarma, 19, and Shahid Mohammad Shaikh, 22.
During the interrogation of the three, it was known to the police that it wasn’t their first attempt at stealing or lurking. A total of 7 cases are registered against the three – out of which 6 are in Dahisar police station, and one at Andheri police station.
A total of three motorcycles (bikes) worth Rs. 1,75,000 were recovered from the three, seven mobile phones, and Rs. 8,000 cash that was in the temple’s donation box.
A case has been registered against the three under sections, 380 (theft in dwelling house, or building), and 457 (lurking house-trespass or house-breaking by night in order to commit an offense punishable with imprisonment), among others of the Indian Penal Code.
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