3 held for Gandhinagar temple burglary

Gandhinagar: Three men have been arrested for a burglary at a temple at Rupaal village in Gandhinagar, in which cash was stolen from three donation boxes.

Police said Rs 1.2 lakh was recovered from the suspects. The total amount stolen from the boxes is yet to be determined because donations are not immediately tallied.

The thieves targeted Khodiyar Mata temple located inside the well-known Varadayini Mata pilgrimage complex.

The theft occurred on May 25, and a case was subsequently registered with the Pethapur police station.

The local crime branch of Gandhinagar police was directed to form teams to trace the suspects. The team established that motorcycles were used to flee the scene of the crime. Investigators analysed records of previous temple thefts involving similar modus operandi.

On May 29, acting on a tip-off that three men on two motorcycles were travelling from Kalol towards Dhanaj, carrying cash suspected to be stolen, police set up a blockade near the Dhanaj-Khorjapara crossroads.

When the riders allegedly tried to turn back on spotting police, teams pursued and detained them. Police said they recovered currency notes in a plastic bag and a temple “chhattar” (canopy).

During interrogation, the men allegedly confessed to breaking open three donation boxes using iron rods, taking cash and the chhattar, and hiding the notes near the Banas riverbed at Sudosan village.

The men allegedly told police they had planned to use the stolen money to buy a car and were on their way to do so when they were detained.