Man held for stealing Rs 7L gold, silver ornaments from temple

Panchkula: Panchkula police have solved a temple theft case and recovered gold and silver ornaments worth nearly Rs 7 lakh.

The theft was reported at Shri Venkateswara Swamy Temple in Sector 12-A. A complaint lodged at Sector 14 police station stated that gold mangalsutras, a nose ring, silver waist ornaments and brass crowns were stolen from the premises.

Police arrested the accused, Mohd Salim, a native of Sambhal district in Uttar Pradesh, currently residing in a slum near Elante Mall in Chandigarh.

During interrogation, the accused allegedly confessed that he first attempted a theft at Parshuram Bhawan in Sector 12-A on the night of May 26 but fled after residents were alerted. He later entered the temple around 4am and decamped with the ornaments.

Based on his disclosure, police recovered the stolen items from his residence. These include gold mangalsutras with chains, a gold nose ring, black-bead mangalsutras with pendants, a silver waist belt and brass religious ornaments.

Police said the accused has been sent to judicial custody.