A thief was caught red-handed on Friday morning while stealing money from the donation box at the Siddhivinayak Temple in the Dombivli MIDC residential area. The incident occurred around 6:34 A.M. and was captured on CCTV cameras inside the temple.
The accused entered the temple under the guise of a devotee and used a wooden stick coated with glue to extract currency notes from the donation box discreetly. Temple authorities noticed the suspicious activity on CCTV and, with the help of a devotee, apprehended the thief before he could escape.
The accused was handed over to the Manpada Police station for further investigation and legal action. Police are probing whether he was involved in similar thefts in the area. The Siddhivinayak Temple is a significant place of worship for locals and witnesses a high influx of devotees daily.
Local residents commended the vigilance of the temple authorities and urged the police to enhance security measures in the wake of rising theft incidents in the area.
