Shillong, May 10: Thieves broke into the Hanuman Mandir in Garikhana in the early hours of Sunday morning and decamped with idols, silver ornaments and cash while also vandalising the religious site.
The miscreants deliberately disabled the CCTV cameras by setting them on fire, demonstrating that this was a well-planned heist.
Police said that the incident took place at around 1am. The temple falls under the jurisdiction of Lumdiengjri Police Station.
The thieves broke open a side entrance to gain access to the temple before they ransacked the premises.
While the main idol remained untouched, the burglars made off with idols of Krishna and Radha, a small idol of Hanuman, silver ornaments, several brass ritual items, such as lamps, pots and plates. An undisclosed sum of money from the temple’s donation box was also stolen.
Although the temple’s CCTV cameras were damaged, police have obtained surveillance footage from cameras in the general area, which captured the miscreants as they fled the scene.
Meanwhile, the Central Puja Committee (CPC) condemned the “sacrilege” committed at the temple.
CPC president Naba Bhattacharjee urged the district administration to investigate the matter and initiate immediate action as per the law to nab the culprits and take stringent exemplary action against the offenders.
“Moreover, security arrangements in places of worship of different religions and faiths must be strengthened and vigilance stepped up to ensure such cases are not repeated in future,” he added.
