Crime Branch nabs three men for stealing valuables from temples in Chandigarh

NEW DELHI: The Crime Branch of Delhi Police has busted the notorious 'Reshamjeet' gang and arrested three members, including the kingpin, who stole valuables from temples in Punjab.

Police said the gang has committed about a dozen burglaries in various temples in Chandigarh and nearby places, and used to dispose of the booty in an organised way by immediately by sending it to Kashipur, Uttarakhand through their sources.

The arrested accused were identified as Resham Singh from Uttarakhand, and Meerut residents Manbeer Singh and Harjeet Singh.

"In March, a lot of sensation was created in Chandigarh, when it was found that the ornaments worn by idols were found missing from temples. Keeping in mind the gravity of the offense and the sentiments of devotees, Chandigarh Police shared some information with Crime Branch of Delhi police. Our teams worked on that." said Alok Kumar, Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime).

Based on inputs provided by Chandigarh Police, a team was constituted by Crime Branch and sources were deployed. With help local sources, dossiers of the accused involved in offenses with a similar modus operandi were identified and call details records of various suspects were examined.

Eventually, the team zeroed-in on three men residing in different parts of Delhi and were later arrested from Wazirpur.

Police said the accused would travel to Chandigarh by bus and stay in hotels.

Before committing theft during the day, the accused would recce their targetted sites, including temples and gurudwara, which would contain huge amount of valuables, including gold and silver.

In the late hours, between 1 and 2 am, the accused would take shelter near the targeted place and eventually commit their act.

Idols and ornaments, including five crowns of silver, a silver snake statue, a base of shivling, a jhallar of shivling – weighing over sefven kg – were recovered from the accused.