Burglars Steal Silver Palanquin And Gold Valuables From Sirmaur Ganesh Temple

Nahan :  A major temple burglary has sent shockwaves through the local community in Sirmaur district's Sainj Dhar region after thieves broke into a historic shrine and escaped with an 18-kilogram silver palanquin, cash, and gold ornaments.

The daring heist took place at the ancient Ganesh Temple located in the Kotla Molar Panchayat on the intervening night of Wednesday and Thursday.  According to the local temple committee, the suspects executed the crime with meticulous, professional planning.

Before breaching the main entrance, the burglars disabled the security grid by cutting the wires of all four closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras installed around the perimeter. To systematically erase all traces of identity, they also detached and took away the digital video recorder (DVR) containing the security footage.  Once inside, the intruders forced open an almirah housing valuable religious artifacts.

They decamped with the 18-kg silver palanquin, a pair of pure gold earrings that adorned the idol of Lord Ganesha, and approximately 40,000 rupees in cash collected from the devotees' donation box. While official records list the initial purchase value of the religious valuables at around 16 lakh rupees, community elders note that surging metal prices place the current market evaluation close to 40 lakh rupees.

 The incident came to light on Thursday morning when the temple priest arrived to open the doors for daily morning prayers and discovered the ransacked premises. Sirmaur Superintendent of Police Nishchint Singh Negi confirmed that a case has been registered under relevant legal provisions.

Forensic teams and fingerprint experts have thoroughly swept the crime scene for scientific evidence. Police have formed dedicated units to track down suspect movements across nearby forest checkposts, promising swift arrests and the complete recovery of the stolen relics.