Delhi: Idol, ornaments stolen from temple in Kalkaji
Police suspect that the thieves are from nearby areas who knew that the CCTV cameras and lights near the main gates of the temple were damaged in a short-circuit a few days ago.
Unidentified burglars targeted the Shri Raghunath Mandir in south Delhi’s Kalkaji and decamped with a silver idol and ornaments weighing around 9kg and worth around ₹6 lakh in the early hours of Thursday, police and office bearers of the temple’s management committee said.
Police suspect that the thieves are from nearby areas who knew that the CCTV cameras and lights near the main gates of the temple were damaged in a short-circuit a few days ago.
A case of trespassing and burglary was registered at the Kalkaji police station against unknown persons. No arrest was made till Thursday night.
“The case was registered on the statement of the temple priest, Shiv Kumar Tiwari. Teams have been formed to probe the case,” said DCP (southeast) RP Meena.
In his statement, the priest said the burglary came to light around 5am on Thursday, when he reached the temple for prayers and found several items -- a silver idol of Nag Devta, a silver umbrella attached to an idol of Lord Hanuman, and a silver ornament kept on an abstract image of Lord Shiva -- missing.
“A portable ladder was found near the main wall. It appears the thieves scaled the boundary wall, cut the grille, and then used the ladder to escape with the stolen silver,” said the temple committee’s president KL Arora.