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Man accused of stealing temple valuables arrested in Odisha
Ghanashyam was arrested from his hideout in Nayagarh district over his involvement in the theft of valuables in Sri Vasavi Kanyaka Parmeswari temple in Jeypore and another temple in Rayagada
A 45-year-man accused of stealing valuables from temples across southern states was arrested from Odisha’s Nayagarh district on Saturday, police said.
Sub divisional police officer of Jeypore in Koraput district, Ankit Verma said Ghanashyam, who is involved in more than 50-odd cases of theft of temple valuables, was arrested from his hideout in Nayagarh district over his involvement in the theft of valuables in Sri Vasavi Kanyaka Parmeswari temple in Jeypore and another temple in Rayagada district in February this year.
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He even stole the digital video recorder of the temple which stored the video footage of the CCTV cameras installed in the temple.
“After we found his involvement in the two burglary cases, we were on his trail and finally got him in Nayagarh,” said Verma.
“He had started committing burglaries after getting bail in another burglary case in Kerala in July 2023. Since then, he committed several thefts across the country.”
Known as temple thief, Ghanashyam started stealing valuables from temple when he was 18 years old. “He would first scout temples and commit burglaries later, using a gas cutter and an iron rod for opening the locks by breaking or cutting and stealing silver and gold ornaments. He targeted temples as security was lax there. In places where CCTV cameras were installed, he would wear a mask,” said a police official who arrested him.
