On the intervening night between the 10th and 11th of January, three men stormed into the Chandi Mata temple in Harayan’s Chandimandir, Panchkula district and fled with money and jewellery. According to the police, the robbers broke the lock on the back gate in order to access the temple. They could be witnessed wearing shoes as they enter the sanctum sanctorum as filmed by the CCTV cameras positioned throughout the place.
The accused was on the temple grounds for almost 45 minutes after the theft which happened at around one in the morning, per the CCTV evidence. Approximately Rs 5 lakh in cash from four contribution boxes and 2.5 kg of gold jewellery as well as other items worth 6.50 lakh was taken, according to Mata Mansa Devi Shrine Board authorities.
The police were notified as soon as information regarding the theft in the temple surfaced. The police squad arrived on the scene and took stock of the situation as soon as they learned of the incident. They interrogated individuals in the vicinity while reviewing the temple’s CCTV footage. According to the police, the approximate value of the gold jewellery that was stolen from the temple is Rs 6.50 lakh. The Chandimandir police station in-charge, Lalit Kumar informed that CCTV video is being used to find the burglars.
The slum area is being searched by the police teams in an attempt to apprehend the suspects. They have reportedly offered a reward for information regarding the accused. Beed Ghaggar, Burj Kotia, Surajpur, Khark Mangoli and other impoverished localities surrounding the site are being raided by cops. Police have taken numerous people into custody since 11th January and are questioning them. The culprits are being tracked down relying on the temple’s CCTV footage.
Police are also looking through the Chandi Mandir toll plaza’s CCTV cameras at the same moment. The police are also enlisting the assistance of cybercell and undercover sources to catch the accused soon. Crime Branch-26, Crime Branch-19, Detective Staff and Chandimandir Police Station teams are hunting for them.
Gyan Chand Gupta, the speaker of the Haryana Assembly went to the temple on 11th January where bowed his head and prayed to the goddess for blessings. Subsequently, he obtained comprehensive details from the police and Prithviraj, the secretary of the Shri Mata Mansa Devi Shrine Board in connection to the incident. Later, he watched CCTV footage of the crime in detail. He ordered Deputy Commissioner of Police Sumer Pratap Singh to find the offenders, prosecute them harshly and step up regular patrols and surveillance at the temple.
The stolen articles included 16 tola gold jewellery, a silver bowl, pot, glass, crown, and lid while a gold umbrella, mangalsutra, necklace and the gold eye worn by the deity were recovered from the donation boxes. A case under relevant sections was registered at the Chandimandir police station.
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Mata Mansa Devi Shrine Board was also directed by the Speaker of the Haryana Assembly to strengthen the security measures at the three temples to avert similar instances in the future. He underlined that looting from the Mahamayi temple is a serious transgression and that violators will never be spared. He was given the assurance by the Deputy Commissioner of Police that, based on CCTV video four teams consisting of three crime units would be assembled shortly to capture the perpetrators. Officials discovered some temple materials on the hill behind the sacred structure suggesting that the burglars escaped by climbing the hill after committing the crime.
Municipal Magistrate Rajesh Punia, Municipal Corporation Councillor Narendra Pal Singh Lubana, Secretary of the Mata Mansa Devi Temple Sharda Prajapati, Assistant Commissioner of Police Aryan Chaudhary, Chandimandir police station in-charge Lalit Sharma of Chandimandir and other dignitaries were present there.
