Thawe temple theft accused shot, arrested after police encounter

Thieves broke into the Thawe Bhawani temple in Gopalganj district on Thursday, making off with a gold crown valued at ₹51 lakh, along with necklaces, a silver canopy, and a 50 kg donation box.

Police arrested a person, wanted for his alleged involvement in the recent theft of a golden crown and other jewellery of the idol at the renowned Thawe Bhawani temple, after a brief encounter in Gopalganj district, officials said on Saturday.

Thawe temple theft accused shot, arrested after police encounter

The temple, dedicated to Goddess Durga, is popularly known as ‘Thawewali Mata’, who, devotees believe, fulfills wishes.

Arrested has been identified as Izmamul Alam, 21. He was arrested after he sustained injury in the leg during a shoot-out with the police. He has been admitted to the government medical hospital for treatment and the police also recovered some parts of the stolen crown, officers aware of the development said.

A police officer said that a Special Investigation Team (SIT) raided Riki Tola area under Thawe police station area after they were tipped off that a member of the gang took shelter in possession of stolen temple property. However, in the course of the operation, the alleged suspect opened fire on the police team and tried to dodge the police, he added.

He said that the STF asked the suspected accused to surrender before the police but he ignored the fact that the police retaliated in self-defence when the fire was continuing. The accused received a bullet in his leg and he was later immediately taken to the hospital for treatment. The local police identified the accused as Izmamul Haque Alam. “The special team also recovered some parts of the stolen crown from his possession,” said a police officer.

“Alam belonged to Motihari district but he was recently living in Bhojpur. The police also scanned the CCTV footage in which he was seen with other members of the gang and mastermind Deepak Rai, the alleged mastermind of the incident,” Gopalganj, SP Awadhesh Dixit said.

The police officer said that during interrogation, Alam revealed details about his interstate gang network.

“Some policemen are also raiding other parts of Uttar Pradesh to recover concealed jewellery and some more persons may be involved in the racket, “ said a police officer.

On December 17, the criminals broke into the historic Thawe Bhawani temple in Gopalganj district, stealing a 251-gram gold crown, necklaces, and a 50 kg donation box. CCTV footage showed two criminals using a ladder and rope to enter the sanctum, one of them barefoot, while security guards reportedly slept through the incident. The devotees had expressed shock over the breach at the 500-year-old pilgrimage site.

East Champaran SP announces cash reward for Pakaridayal SDPO

BETTIAH: Soon after the arrest of Imamul Alam after an encounter in Gopalganj, the East Champaran police announced a cash reward of ₹25,000 along with a certificate of appreciation for Pakaridayal Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Chandan Kumar and his role in identifying suspects involved in the Thawe temple theft.

Sharing details through a WhatsApp group comprising police personnel and media representatives in Motihari, East Champaran superintendent of police (SP) Swarn Prabhat on Saturday said the sub divisional police officer had shared some valuable information with Gopalganj police following the receipt of some information with regard to the suspects involved in Thawe temple theft case.

(With inputs from Sandeep Bhashkar)