Man held for stealing idol from SW Delhi temple

The incident came to light on December 7 following a complaint at the Dabri police station from one Rakesh Kumar about a burglary at a Hanuman temple.

A 21-year-old man was arrested for allegedly stealing a brass idol of Laddu Gopal (child form of Lord Krishna), its gold earrings worth a few lakhs rupees, and some cash from a temple in southwest Delhi’s Mahendra Park in Dabri, police said on Sunday.

(Getty Images/iStockphoto)

The suspect was identified as Navi Hasan, a drug addict who used to carry out petty crimes such as theft and burglary with his associates to buy narcotic substances, said police.

The incident came to light on December 7 following a complaint at the Dabri police station from one Rakesh Kumar about a burglary at a Hanuman temple. A case was registered and investigation was taken up, said deputy commissioner of police (Dwarka) Ankit Singh.

“Through scanning of CCTV cameras and human intelligence gathering, investigators identified the burglar as a resident of Bindapur. He was arrested on December 9 from 40-Foot Road in Dabri, where he had arrived to commit another crime. His interrogation led to the recovery of the stolen items,” said DCP Singh, adding that Hasan was previously involved in seven thefts and burglaries.