Dhar (Madhya Pradesh): Dhar police achieved a major breakthrough in the case of temple thefts by arresting the accused involved in the Udyogpati Balaji Temple theft at Pithampur and recovering stolen goods not only from this temple but also from seven others across Dhar and Indore districts on Thursday.
Addressing media persons, SP Mayank Awasthi said that the seized silver goods including an umbrella and a bell appear to be all in brand new condition.
As per reports, the case originated on September 15, when complainant Vijay Giri reported that at around 2:30 am, an unidentified thief broke the lock of Balaji Temple at Pithampur, entered and stole a silver crown and umbrella worth Rs 40k. Police registered a case under relevant section and launched a probe into the matter.
Acting swiftly, a special team led by Pithampur CSP Ravi Soner and inspector Rajendra Soni scrutinised over 150 CCTV cameras, leading to tracing of a suspected car (MP 09 ZT 3134) linked with the theft incident. Police arrested accused Khemraj Chauhan (23) of Tejaji Nagar, Indore. Upon interrogation, he confessed to theft in multiple temples.
Police recovered 2.3 kg of silver, 23 kg of brass worth Rs 4.8 lakh along with a country-made pistol, three live cartridges from the accused possession. A car worth Rs 6 lakh was also confiscated.
The stolen items were traced to eight temples including Balaji Temple Pithampur, Kalka Mata Temple (Pithampur), Ram Temple (Betma), Hanuman Temples at Dwarkapuri and Manpur, Nand Koteshwar Mahadev Temple (Simrol), Santoshi Mata Temple (Mhow) and Hanuman Temple (Nalcha). The accused is under police custody and is being interrogated to find out further links in the case.
