Silver utensils stolen from Jain temple

Chennai

In a major burglary at a Jain temple located just opposite to the Mylapore police station on Kutcheri Road, Mylapore, 12 kg silver articles and Rs 10,000 from the hundi have been stolen.

Police said the burglary took place between 3 to 4.30 am when the temple watchman was fast asleep inside. Police have taken the watchman into custody as they suspect that the burglary could not have happened without the knowledge of the watchman.

According to Police, the  burglar scaled the backside wall of the Mavadi Jain Temple and broke open the back door to gain entry. They said the burglar took away small silver articles used for puja, including five silver crowns and three silver kalasams. The burglar also broke open the temple hundi and took away Rs 10,000 in cash.

The temple authorities came to know about the theft only around 6 am and police were informed about it around 6.30 am. “We have collected the fingerprints from the scene. We are now interrogating the temple security guard, who was said to be sleeping inside the temple,” a police official attached to the Mylapore police said.

Police are now trying to verify the finger prints collected from the site with the forensic database. Sources said that messages have been passed on to check posts and exit points in the city to check for suspicious vehicles. Police said they suspect it to be the handiwork of a single person. “The burglary seemed to have happened between 3 to 4.30 am. So it is unlikely that somebody could break the door without waking up the security guard. We suspect that the security guard could be involved or was part of the conspiracy,” the official added.