Daijiworld Media Network - Hyderabad (SHP)
Hyderabad, Nov 22: A CCTV footage of a ‘devotional’ thief surfaced from Hyderabad's Gunfoundry area. The footage of the incident came to light on Wednesday, where a thief is seen entering the Durga temple with a plan to steal the crown on the deity. But, before he goes ahead with the crime, the man is seen praying to the deity. He folds his hands, holds his ears, turns around in the spot and bows down before the idol, in what seems like an apology for the crime he is about to commit.
The man then starts untangling the crown which is tied with a thread to the deity. There is even a moment where he briefly pauses before successfully getting away with the theft.
A case has been registered under Section 380 (theft in dwelling house) of the IPC.
"The custodians of the temple approached us last night and filed a complaint and we have registered a case. Further investigation is underway," SHO Kandula Ravi Kumar of the Abids police station said.
The police officials are looking back at old CCTV footages to ascertain whether the accused visited the temple in the past before committing the crime. The footage is also being investigated to identify the accused.
Earlier this year, three crowns were stolen from the Sri Govinda Raja Swamy temple in Andhra Pradesh's Tirupati town. The three crowns which were stolen weighed approximately 1,351 gm and were valued at around Rs 50 lac.
However, the police managed to arrest the accused after three months. Reportedly, the thief had already melted the gold and was looking to sell it.