Mumbai Police have arrested three suspects in connection with a theft at the Sri Shivdi Jain Sangh temple in the Mulraj Bhawan area of Sewri and recovered stolen gold and silver ornaments, an official said.
The incident occurred between April 22 and 23, involving the theft of approximately 190 grams of gold and 750 grams of silver ornaments from the temple idols, along with cash from the donation box. The stolen items included gold tikas, silver crowns, and other religious artefacts, valued at around Rs 5.7 lakh.
According to the police, the accused broke open the temple’s lock, covered their faces with handkerchiefs, and deliberately destroyed CCTV cameras and the DVR system by cutting its wires to erase any evidence.
Despite this, the R.A.K. Marg Police team — comprising 14 officers, including technical experts, detection officers, and constables — reviewed footage from over 70 CCTV cameras across 29 locations. Their investigation led them to Banaskantha district in Gujarat.
After a three-day operation, police arrested the suspects — Sunil Singh Dabhi (23), Rahul Singh Vaghela (20), and Jigarsingh Vaghela (19), all residents of Banaskantha. The stolen ornaments were recovered during the operation.
The investigation was conducted under the supervision of Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone 4) IPS R. Ragasudha. The operation was led by ACP Yogesh Gawde (Matunga Division) and PI (Crime) Sandeep Randive of R.A.K. Marg Police Station.
