A quiet early morning at a temple in Kandivali West was shattered when two men broke in and stole cash from the donation box. What seemed like a clean getaway soon turned into a police chase spanning Mumbai and Satara, ending with both accused behind bars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kandivali Police arrested two men for breaking into a Shankar temple on SV Road and stealing Rs 50,000 from the temple\u2019s donation box. Investigators later revealed that the same duo was also involved in a similar theft at another temple in Malad East, pointing to a pattern of targeting places of worship during late-night hours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to the police, the theft took place between 3 am and 5 am on December 23. During these early hours, when the area was largely deserted, the accused arrived at the Shankar temple located on SV Road in Kandivali West.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Using force, they smashed open the lock of the temple door and made their way inside. Their target was the donation box, which contained offerings made by devotees. The men broke it open and allegedly stole around Rs 50,000 in cash before fleeing the scene.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Temple authorities discovered the break-in later in the morning and immediately alerted the police.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
An FIR was registered on December 26 at Kandivali Police Station. Given the sensitive nature of the crime and the growing concern over thefts at religious places, senior officers instructed the local police team to take up the case on priority.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Multiple teams were formed to investigate the incident. The first step was to examine CCTV footage from areas surrounding the temple.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
CCTV cameras near the temple captured two men arriving at the spot in an auto-rickshaw during the early hours. The footage also showed them leaving shortly after the break-in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What stood out to investigators was the direction in which the auto travelled after the crime. The vehicle was seen heading towards the Western Express Highway and then moving in the direction of Mira Road.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This single detail helped police narrow down their search.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Based on the CCTV trail, police began searching for the auto-rickshaw and tracking possible suspects living along the Mira Road route. Their efforts paid off when they traced and apprehended Ali Raza Khan, 38, a resident of Mira Road.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
During interrogation, Khan reportedly confessed to his involvement in the theft and provided details about his accomplice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Khan informed the police that the prime accused, Prashant Chorat, 30, had left Mumbai and returned to his hometown in Satara after the theft. Acting on this information, a police team travelled to Satara to track him down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After gathering local intelligence and verifying his whereabouts, the team successfully arrested Chorat and brought him back to Mumbai for further questioning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
During the course of the investigation, police discovered that the two accused were not first-time offenders. They were allegedly involved in a similar temple theft in Malad East in the past, using a comparable method of operation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The pattern suggested that the men specifically targeted temples during late-night or early-morning hours, when footfall was low and security minimal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Police are now checking records to see if the duo may be linked to other unsolved cases of temple theft in the city or nearby areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The case was cracked through a combination of careful CCTV analysis, ground-level intelligence, and coordinated teamwork. Investigating officer Hemant Gite led the probe under the supervision of senior officials, including DCP Sandeep Jadhav, ACP Nita Padvi, and senior inspector Karan Sonkavde.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Officers said that quick access to surveillance footage and prompt action helped prevent the accused from escaping for long.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Following the arrests, police reiterated the importance of security around places of worship. They urged temple management committees to ensure proper locks, lighting, and functioning CCTV cameras, especially during night hours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Residents were also advised to report any suspicious activity immediately, as timely information can make a crucial difference in solving crimes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Temple thefts, once considered rare, have seen a rise in some urban pockets as criminals look for soft targets. Police officials say that donation boxes, which often contain cash, attract offenders who assume such places are poorly guarded at night.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This case, however, highlights how modern surveillance and coordinated policing can quickly bring offenders to justice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What began as a quiet early-morning theft ended with two arrests, thanks to swift police action and a clear digital trail. The Kandivali temple theft case stands as a reminder that even carefully planned crimes leave behind clues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As investigations continue into the accused\u2019s past activities, police remain alert to ensure that similar incidents are prevented in the future.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Temple Theft in Mumbai Ends With Swift Police Action A quiet early morning at a temple in Kandivali West was shattered when two men broke in and stole cash from the donation box. What seemed like a clean getaway soon turned into a police chase spanning Mumbai and Satara, ending with both accused behind bars. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4250,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[2110,2107,2106,2109,523,2111,2108],"class_list":["post-4249","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-news","tag-cctv-investigation","tag-kandivali-police","tag-kandivali-temple-theft","tag-malad-east-theft","tag-mumbai-crime-news","tag-mumbai-police-arrests","tag-temple-donation-box-theft"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thebombaydurpun.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4249","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thebombaydurpun.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thebombaydurpun.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thebombaydurpun.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thebombaydurpun.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4249"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/thebombaydurpun.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4249\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4251,"href":"https:\/\/thebombaydurpun.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4249\/revisions\/4251"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thebombaydurpun.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/4250"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thebombaydurpun.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4249"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thebombaydurpun.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4249"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thebombaydurpun.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4249"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}