Ludhiana: Burglars flee with temple’s donation box

This burglary follows another theft reported just two days in nearby Kotla village where thieves broke into a sanitaryware shop and made away with submersible motors, electronic goods and ₹20,000

A gang of burglars targeted a religious site in Sihala village of Samrala, stealing a donation box from Guga Mari Mandir during the early hours of Tuesday. The stolen donation box, estimated to weigh around 40 kg, contained 15 kg of coins and thousands of rupees in cash offerings made by devotees. The theft occurred around 1:30 am and was captured on the temple’s CCTV cameras. The footage shows two men arriving at the shrine, manipulating the security cameras and making off with the donation box.

The police have launched an investigation. (HT photo for representation)

Neeraj Kumar, son of the village’s woman sarpanch, said the shrine was widely respected and regularly visited by hundreds of devotees. “This has hurt the religious sentiments of the entire village,” he said.

This burglary follows another theft reported just two days earlier in nearby Kotla village where thieves broke into a sanitaryware shop and made away with submersible motors, electronic goods and ₹20,000 in cash. The total estimated loss is over ₹1 lakh.

Jagpal Singh, nambardar of Sihala village, expressed the community’s anger. “We suspect drug addicts are behind this. We have launched our own effort to track them alongside the police,” he said.

Sub-inspector Nitish Chaudhary, SHO at Samrala police station, confirmed that an investigation is underway. “The stolen donation box was found abandoned near a canal in Khirni village. We are reviewing the CCTV footage. FIRs into both Sihala and Kotla incidents have been registered. A hunt is on for the arrest of the accused,” he added.