Delhi: Man steals idols from temple in Burari, arrested

The Delhi Police has arrested a 24-year-old man for allegedly burgling a temple in the Burari area, and recovered stolen idols and religious articles, an official said on Thursday.

The case came to light after a priest at Hanuman Mandir in north Delhi’s Burari lodged a complaint.

He stated that when he reached the temple for morning prayers on June 3, he found that several religious items, including idols, a gada (mace) and copper and brass utensils used for worship, had been stolen.

Police registered a case, launched a probe and examined CCTV footage from the temple and surrounding areas. The footage showed a man scaling the temple wall before entering the premises and fleeing after committing the theft, the official said.

“The team tracked his movement through multiple CCTV cameras and found that he escaped towards the Swaroop Nagar area on a motorcycle. A clear image was obtained and circulated among local informers,” the police officer said.

Based on technical surveillance and local intelligence, the accused was identified as Rohit, the official said, adding that police apprehended him near Pusta Road on June 5 while he was allegedly on his way to sell the stolen articles.

Police said during verification, they learned the motorcycle in his possession was stolen in a separate theft case. Further investigation is underway, police said.