50-yr-old held for stealing woman’s purse in temple

A 50-year-old Thane woman was arrested for allegedly stealing gold chains and cash from the bag of a devotee at a Jain temple in Ghatkopar (East).

A 50-year-old Thane woman was arrested for allegedly stealing gold chains and cash from the bag of a devotee at a Jain temple in Ghatkopar (East).

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The Pant Nagar police said the accused, Meenakshi Desai, hails from a “well-to-do family”.

Desai was arrested based on footage recovered from closed-circuit television (CCTV) installed on the temple premises.

The police said Desai lives with her husband, son and daughter-in-law all of whom are employed.

“Desai robbed the purse belonging to Vijaya Gada, who lives in Ghatkopar, while she was praying," said a police officer requesting anonymity as he was not authorised to speak to the media.

“We are trying to find out if the accused had committed any such offences in the past,” added the official.

Senior Police Inspector M. Suryavanshi, of the Pant Nagar police station, said they will recover the stolen valuables from the accused and are investigating the case.