Chennai Jain temple heist: Thieves loot gold, silver worth lakhs

A shocking temple heist has rocked Chennai as thieves executed a daring robbery at a Jain temple on Mint Street recently, looting nearly half a kilo of gold ornaments and 10 kg of silver. The thieves, caught on CCTV, scaled the temple’s 12-foot wall and escaped with the stolen valuables.

Caught on CCTV

The entire robbery that happened on February 14 was captured on CCTV cameras installed on the temple premises. The footage reveals the thieves skillfully climbing the temple walls using a piece of cloth and sneaking inside. They proceeded to break the locks, take the gold and silver ornaments, and flee with a bundle of stolen jewels.

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Among the stolen items were five silver crowns, each weighing two kilos.

The theft came to light when the temple priest discovered the missing valuables during his noon prayers on February 15. Alarmed, he immediately informed the temple management, who then reported the incident to the police. An official complaint was filed, and a police investigation was launched.

Authorities are actively hunting for the culprits, and as part of their inquiry, they have detained six workers from Rajasthan employed at the temple for questioning.

Possible gang link

Reports indicate that special police teams from Mumbai and Karnataka have been deployed to track a suspected gang believed to be targeting Jain temples. Investigators suspect that the same group may have been involved in similar robberies at Jain temples in Salem and Chengalpattu.

Adding a twist to the investigation, police have uncovered that after committing the crime, the thieves casually stopped for tea before boarding a train to escape. Acting on this lead, special police teams have rushed to Mumbai in pursuit of the suspects.

With a nationwide hunt now underway, investigators are probing whether this was a well-planned heist and if multiple temple burglaries are connected. Answers could emerge soon as police intensify their search for the elusive criminals.

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