Siliguri: A major theft incident took place at the ISKCON temple in Siliguri, raising serious concerns over security at one of the city’s most revered religious sites. One person has already been arrested in the incident. On Sunday, a team from the Forensic department arrived at the temple and collected a few samples.
The arrested accused has been identified as Samrat Das, a resident of the Ghogomali area of Siliguri. The incident happened on the night of April 29. The thief looted three donation boxes, escaping with a sum estimated to be between Rs 4 to 5 lakh. The incident came to light the next morning and the temple authority lodged a written complaint at Bhaktinagar Police Station, based on which cops arrested the accused and produced him at Court on
May 1.CCTV footage revealed the youth scaling the temple wall and entering through a rarely used door meant exclusively for cleaning the temple’s fan. Police have recovered
Rs. 1.70 lakh from the accused so far. Currently, he is under police remand.
On Sunday, the three-member forensic team arrived at the temple and collected various samples as part of the ongoing investigation, which is now also focusing on whether more individuals were involved in the incident.
Naam Krishna Das, the spokesperson of the temple, raised questions about the breach, noting, “There are 50 CCTV cameras installed across the temple premises. The accused had his face covered to avoid detection.
But what’s most concerning is how he knew about a concealed service door, known only to a select few. This suggests the thief might have done a thorough reconnaissance before the act.” In response to the incident, temple authorities have significantly ramped up security. Plans are underway to install additional CCTV cameras and deploy more security personnel to prevent such incidents in the future.