Silver idols worth lakhs stolen from Jain temple in Indore

Indore: Unidentified persons decamped with silver idols and items used in rituals valued at over Rs10 lakh from Greater Baba Jain Temple in Super Corridor area early Monday morning,According to temple records and CCTV footage, thieves entered the premises at 2:18am and spent 42 minutes inside before fleeing. The footage shows at least one person scaling the wall after arriving at the temple on a motorcycle. The stolen items included five silver idols, one ashtadhatu idol, a stone slab (shila), two shanti dhara vessels and 28 kalash.The theft was discovered around 5am after temple watchman, Rakesh Trivedi, opened the gates. A female devotee, Anju, who arrived shortly afterwards to offer prayers, was the first to notice the ransacked sanctum.Aerodrome police station’s preliminary investigation suggested that the thieves had conducted a recce of the temple days prior to the strike. The temple was constructed in 1998 and is spread across 10,000 square feet area.Jain community members said that the physical appearance of the suspects in the footage matches those involved in recent thefts at other Jain temples in the region.Aerodrome police have registered a case.