Shivpuri Temple Theft ;  Gang Members Arrested for Planning Temple Robberies in Tamil Nadu and Telangana: DGP Gaurav Yadav

Another Gang Member Identified, Police Launch Manhunt: SSP Khanna

CHANDIGARH/KHANNA, August 22:   In a major breakthrough amidst the ongoing campaign to make Punjab a safe and secure state as per directions of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, Khanna Police has solved the sensational Shivpuri Temple  theft case in less than a week by busting an interstate theft gang— targeting Religious places including Mandir and Gurudwaras— with the arrest of its four members, said Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav here on Thursday.

The Chandigarh Police, Batala Police, Udham Singh Nagar Police, Uttarakhand, and Lucknow Police cooperated to accomplish the operation.

Police have identified the arrested individuals as Resham Singh alias Rinku from Sindhi Jhala, District Udham Singh Nagar in Uttarakhand; Ravi Kumar from Mahindpur in Ropar; Honey from Mahindpur in Ropar; and Rajeev Kumar alias Soni from Kumarapuram in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh (UP).

Unknown individuals entered the Shivpuri Temple

According to the information, on August 15, around 4:30 am, unknown individuals entered the Shivpuri Temple through the window panes on the roof and stole various gold and silver ornaments, including a silver gagar placed above Shivling Maharaj, a silver garland around Shivling Maharaj, a silver flute of Krishna Maharaj, silver crowns, and gold ornaments of all the idols in the Temple. They also desecrated Shivling Maharaj.

DGP Gaurav Yadav stated that police teams from Khanna have successfully arrested four individuals involved in this case and recovered the 3.63 kg of silver stolen from the Temple.

Gang was planning robberies in temples in Tamil Nadu

He added that preliminary investigations revealed the gang was planning robberies in temples in Tamil Nadu and Telangana, which police have now thwarted. Further investigations are ongoing, with more arrests expected.

Sharing operation details, SSP Khanna Ashwini Gotyal addressed the press conference, stating that special teams swiftly formed under SP Investigation Saurav Jindal’s supervision traced the case using scientific and technical methods as well as human intelligence.

She said the investigation uncovered that an interstate gang of thieves conducts thefts in temples and other religious places.

Acting swiftly on the inputs, special teams of Khanna Police conducted raids in different districts of Punjab and other states and with the help of Uttarakhand Police, managed to trace and arrest the first accused identified as Resham Singh alias Rinku from Delhi,” she said.

         SSP Gotyal stated that, with assistance from Chandigarh Police, the police arrested accused Ravi Kumar in Chandigarh and accused Honey in Ropar. The police have also identified another suspect, Mohit from Utawal in Aligarh, UP, who is still at large.

The investigation revealed that this gang of thieves sold stolen silver and gold ornaments to jeweler Rajeev Kumar, alias Soni. Police immediately named him as an accused and arrested him in Lucknow (UP), where they recovered the stolen jewelry. With 12 previous criminal cases of theft, the jeweler is now being thoroughly interrogated, which may uncover more theft incidents.

SSP Gotyal further mentioned that the investigation so far indicates that this gang has committed thefts at several religious places across different states, with various cases registered against them.

Police registered FIR No. 124 on 15.08.2024 under sections 331(4), 305, and 299 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) at Khanna City Police Station. They added the offense under section 317(2) of the BNS after arresting the jeweler.