44-yr-old ‘temple thief’ held in Delhi after 3 yrs on the run

Delhi Police arrested Mohit Sharma, 44, wanted for temple thefts across multiple states, evading capture for nearly three years.

New Delhi

The man was wanted for thefts in Kerala, Karnataka and Punjab. (Representative photo)

The Delhi Police’s Crime Branch has arrested a 44-year-old man who is wanted for a series of thefts from temples across multiple states and had been evading arrest for nearly three years, officers aware of the matter said on Tuesday.

Police said that the accused, identified as Mohit Sharma, stole idols, jewellery and other articles from temples across Punjab, Kerala and Karnataka over the past few months, and they arrested him near the Patiala House Courts, where he was planning to meet with an associate.

Deputy commissioner of police (crime) Harsh Indora said, “Sharma had developed a pattern by targeting comparatively isolated or less-guarded temples and religious places. He allegedly stayed on temple premises during the day to avoid suspicion, conducted recce and struck during late-night or closing hours, making away with expensive idols, ornaments, donation box collections and other valuables. In the past four temple theft cases lodged against him, he had targeted two temples in Kerala, one in Punjab and one in Karnataka.”

Police said Sharma, of Aligarh in Uttar Pradesh, was declared a proclaimed offender by a Punjab court in March this year in connection with a temple theft case registered at the Khanna City police station. They said he was planning to target temples around Connaught Place in Delhi, when he was caught.

“A crime branch team had been tracking suspects involved in theft of silver idols from temples in Delhi and other states when they received a tip-off about Sharma’s movement. We found he was meeting an associate in New Delhi. Acting on the information, officers laid a trap near Patiala House Court. On spotting the police team near Guru Harkrishan Public School in central Delhi, Sharma attempted to flee but was chased and overpowered,” said the DCP.

During questioning, Sharma allegedly told investigators that he had studied till Class 9 and learnt the modus operandi of temple thefts from an acquaintance while working at a dairy in his village. Police said he frequently changed hideouts and travelled across states in buses and trains to evade arrest.

“His verification confirmed that Sharma had been declared a proclaimed offender in the Punjab case,” the DCP said.

Police are also probing whether Sharma had links to any local associates who may have facilitated planned thefts in the Capital.