Mangalore thieves' temple run ended by Thane police

The robbers (the five seen here between a police official at the extreme right and left) were held before a dacoity and confessed to targeting temples

The Thane Crime Branch recently arrested five people involved in robbing over 10 temples in Mangalore, Karnataka. They also recovered gold and silver ornaments worth Rs 12 lakh.

The accused have been identified as Chandrakant Poojary (36) from Honnavar, Narasimha Raju (38) from Bengaluru, and Naveen Chandraban Singh (21), Vijay Suresh Bhonsle (35), and Vishal Ponke (21) from Mumbai.

On September 14, the Thane Crime Branch's Wagle estate unit received information from sources about a dacoity that was going to take place. "We received information that a few criminals were going to raid a jewellery shop in Lokmanyapada in Vartak Nagar. Accordingly we laid a trap and caught the five accused and a case was registered against them. The accused further revealed that they robbed gold and silver ornaments from well-known temples in Karnataka," said Madan Ballal, Police Inspector, Wagle Estate unit.

10 temples looted
Ballal added that the Mangalore police were following the accused. Bhushan Borase, Superintendent of Police, Mangalore District (Dakshina Kannada) said, "We took the five accused in custody on September 17 and during interrogation they confessed to robbery at around 10 temples. We are investigating the matter."

Borase further stated that they recovered few instruments used in robberies and 22kg silver and 750gm gold ornaments worth Rs 12.75 lakh.

"Since past six months they were robbing temples in the state and we were in search of them," added Borase.

"The accused sold the ornaments to a Mumbai-based silversmith stating that they were from a temple and were too old. Trusting them, the silversmith took the ornaments and we recovered them," said a police official.

Police says
Anil Kulkarni, Circle Police Inspector, Mangalore district police said, "In Dakshina Kannada in Mangalore there is a tradition where people donate silver and gold ornaments to temples. The accused used to target the temples in remote areas and rob the gold and silver ornaments. They would use cutters and knives and rob the Mukut, and other valuables during nights when there was no one in the temple."

Temples that were robbed
The temples which complained about robberies include Panchalingeshwar Temple in Eshwarmangala in Puttur, ShreePancgalingeshwar and Shree Durgaparameshwari in Belthangady, Shree Vishnumurthy temple in Savanoor in Puttur, Shri Umamaheshwar Temple, Balyagram in Puttur, Shri Ananthapadmanabha Temple, Ramakunja in Puttur, Ullalthiamma temple in Rayi in Bantwal, Shree Durga parameshwari temple in Adyapadi in Mangaluru and Shree Subramanya Temple in Mangaluru.