Rajkot (Gujarat), August 13, 2012: On the eve of religious period of paryushan, which begins from Tuesday, thieves raided a Jain temple and decamped with jewellery worth Rs 5 lakh on Monday.
The burgled temple was Pattani Derasar located near Jubilee Park. Police said the theft took place between 8.30 am and 8.45 am on Monday morning. “It was a broad daylight burglary in which burglars spent only 15 minutes in stealing the jewellery. The booty included a silver canopy under which the idol is placed. The canopy weighing seven to eight kg silver is estimated to be worth Rs 5 lakh,” said an official from A-division of Rajkot police where the case has been registered.
Meanwhile, police have detained two temple priests for questioning. Though the officials refused to divulge their identities citing secrecy in investigation, sources identified them as Babulal Barraiya and Girish Jain. “The duo is being questioned as the way burglars had carried out the theft with such an ease indicates the involvement of insiders. It looks like a pre-planned well executed crime where details like timings, schedule of religious rituals and crowd of devotees were meticulously kept in mind,” the official explained.
Police sought the help of a dog squad and FSL officials, who inspected the site. Meanwhile, the temple authority said they would soon install CCTV cameras at various locations inside the temple premises to prevent such kind of incidents. – News Courtesy: Times of India