Police in Chhattisgarh have arrested a man accused of stealing from temples in the Durg area. The 45-year-old was caught after an investigation into thefts, which included breaking into donation boxes and taking the money inside. The man’s motivation for the crimes was revealed to be a desire to get back at God.
The man said that he turned to theft after being diagnosed with HIV while he was in jail following a fight in 2011-2012. This experience caused him to lose his faith, and he then started targeting temples to express his anger. During the investigation, the accused confessed to ten thefts in temples in the Durg region. Authorities are looking into whether other people helped him. The man always made sure to avoid touching any jewelry inside the donation boxes. He also took steps to avoid being identified. He would change his clothes before and after each theft so cameras couldn’t recognize him, and parked his scooter far from the temples. He most recently stole from a Jain temple on August 23-24, which led to his arrest the very next day. The police used CCTV cameras and the Trinayan app to find and arrest the man. The investigation showed that the thefts started shortly after he got out of prison in 2012.