Criminals in the metropolis have become so emboldened that they are now not even hesitating to target the very house of God. The latest incident comes from the Rishi Nagar area of Haibowal Khurd, where an unidentified masked thief broke into a temple and stole idols of deities. The entire incident was captured by a nearby CCTV camera, clearly showing the accused’s actions. Given the gravity of the matter, the police have registered a case against the unidentified accused.
The complainant, Jitendra Kumar—who oversees the temple’s maintenance—informed the police that the incident occurred during the intervening night of April 20 and 21. Sometime between 1:00 AM and 2:00 AM, a masked individual broke through the temple wall to gain entry. The accused targeted the idols of the ‘Shiv Parivar’ (Lord Shiva’s family) installed within the temple’s sanctum sanctorum. The thief uprooted and stole the idols of Goddess Parvati, Lord Ganesha, Lord Kartikeya, and the silver serpent deity (Nag Devta) adorning the Shivling. When the priest and devotees arrived at the temple in the morning, they were left in utter shock upon discovering the broken wall and the missing idols.
News of the theft spread like wildfire across the locality, and a large crowd soon gathered at the scene. Shortly after the incident, the stolen idols—along with the silver serpent—were recovered from various parks located approximately 100 meters away from the temple. What proved baffling was that, after stealing the idols, the thief had simply abandoned them in the parks before fleeing the scene. During the recovery, one of the idols was found to be severely damaged, sparking immense outrage among the local residents. This incident has also raised several questions for the police. If the thief had stolen the idols with the sole intent of theft, why did he discard them in the park? Was this merely a case of theft, or part of a larger conspiracy to disrupt the peace of the locality? This remains a subject of ongoing investigation. The police at the PAU Police Station have registered a case regarding this matter.
