Jodhpur jeweller held for stealing gold and silver from city temples

His modus operandi involved travelling from Jodhpur to the city, specifically to commit the thefts and returning immediately, said a police officer

MUMBAI: A 24-year-old jeweller from Jodhpur, Rajasthan, was arrested on Saturday for allegedly stealing gold and silver ornaments from multiple temples in the city since 2024. His modus operandi involved travelling from Jodhpur to the city, specifically to commit the thefts and returning immediately, said a police officer.

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According to the police, the probe began in early September after valuables, including a silver Shiva Linga weighing around 3 kg, were stolen from a temple in Mangaldas Market in south Mumbai. Based on a complaint from the temple authorities, the police examined the CCTV footage of the premises to identify the accused. Further investigation revealed that the suspect, Kapil Brijmohan Soni, had travelled to Jodhpur in Rajasthan, soon after the theft.

Acting on these leads, a police team reached Jodhpur and found out that Soni was a jeweller by profession and apprehended him from his residence on Saturday. Subsequently, he was brought to Mumbai on a transit remand and is currently in police custody.

During interrogation, Soni confessed to committing three temple thefts in the city. “He said that he had stolen around 760 grams of silver from a Jain temple in Bhuleshwar in 2024. He also said that in January 2025, he had stolen 200 grams of silver from another Jain temple in Pydhonie,” said a police officer.

“Soni would visit temples posing as a devotee, identify valuable offerings, and discreetly steal them and flee the city. His modus operandi involved travelling from Jodhpur specifically to commit the thefts and returning immediately,” he said, adding that it made detection difficult as he was not a resident and had no prior criminal record.

The police investigation has also revealed that he had visited temples in Girgaon, Juhu, Andheri, and Dadar East. The police are now coordinating with local stations in these areas to verify if similar thefts were reported during his visits.