MATHURA: An unidentified man allegedly broke open a donation box installed at the main entrance of the Thakur Dwarkadheesh Temple on the banks of the Yamuna here and fled with the cash kept inside, police said on Monday.
The entire incident, from breaking open the steel donation box to removing the cash, was captured on CCTV cameras installed at the temple premises, they said.
Temple legal adviser and media in-charge advocate Rakesh Tiwari said employees found the lock of the donation box broken when they arrived at the temple at around 5.15 am.
Following the discovery, the temple’s official Ashok Sharma lodged a written complaint with the Kotwali police station.
According to Tiwari, CCTV footage showed a man, believed to be around 25-30 years old, reaching the temple’s main gate and first looking around to ensure no one was watching him.
He said two policemen passed the spot during routine patrolling, prompting the suspect to sit on the temple steps. The policemen neither questioned him nor asked why he was sitting there, Tiwari alleged.
After a scooter rider stopped briefly to offer prayers from outside and left, the suspect allegedly used an iron rod to break open the steel donation box, removed the cash, stuffed it into a backpack and walked away from the spot, according to the footage.
Tiwari said the donation box had been installed on the temple steps for the convenience of devotees who were unable to enter the shrine and wished to make offerings.
Additional SP (City) Rajeev Kumar Singh said police were examining the CCTV footage to identify the accused and expected to crack the case soon.
He said the exact amount of cash stolen was yet to be ascertained, as the temple management itself was unaware of how much money was in the donation box at the time of the theft.
PTI