Delhi Crime: Main accused in Jain temple ‘kalash’ theft case held; knife recovered

The main accused in the theft of a gold-plated ‘kalash’ (urn) worth around Rs 40 lakh from a Jain temple in northeast Delhi’s Jyoti Nagar last month has been arrested, police said on Wednesday.

The accused, identified as Munna alias Salim (23), a resident of New Seemapuri, was arrested, and a button-actuated knife was recovered from his possession at the time of arrest, officials said.

A separate case under the relevant Sections of the Arms Act was registered.

According to the police, Munna is a habitual offender and has been previously involved in four criminal cases, including robbery, house theft, and offences under the Arms Act.

During interrogation, he allegedly confessed to stealing the kalash from the top of the Jain temple in Jyoti Nagar on October 11.

Earlier, two scrap dealers – a 42-year-old woman from Sundar Nagri and Danish (24) from New Mustafabad – were arrested after parts of the stolen kalash were recovered from their possession.

The theft came to light on October 12 when temple staff found that the kalash installed atop the spire was missing. CCTV footage showed a man climbing down a pole inside the temple premises after allegedly removing the urn during the intervening night of Friday and Saturday, when most residents in the area were busy with Karva Chauth celebrations.

Police said the kalash, made of ‘ashta-dhatu’ (an auspicious alloy of eight metals) and containing around 200 grams of gold, was valued between Rs 35 lakh and Rs 40 lakh.

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