Pune: A thief broke open a donation box at the historic Kasba Ganpati Temple, Pune’s Gram Daivat and the first of the city’s five Manache Ganpati, and fled with around Rs60,000 in cash late Monday night, Oct 5. The incident has raised security concerns at the prominent religious site.
According to police, the theft took place around midnight when an unidentified person entered the temple premises and targeted the donation box. After breaking it open, the suspect allegedly took the cash kept inside and escaped. The entire incident was captured on the temple’s CCTV cameras. Police said the footage clearly shows the movements of the suspect inside the premises.
Faraskhana Police have registered a case and are examining CCTV footage from the temple as well as cameras installed in the surrounding area to identify and trace the suspect. Speaking to The Free Press Journal, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime Branch) Gaur Hasan said police received information about the theft on Tuesday morning and immediately launched an investigation.
Hasan said, “We got this information today morning. We have launched an investigation and our teams are working on it. We are examining CCTV. We will soon reveal all necessary information regarding this case. The area is under tight security.”
Police teams are currently working to establish how the suspect entered the temple, the route taken after the theft and whether anyone else was involved. Technical investigation and CCTV analysis are also being carried out to establish the suspect’s identity.
