Man held for stealinng gold and silver jewellery from Jain temple

The Greater Chennai City Police has arrested a 60-year-old man from Maharashtra who allegedly stole gold and silver from Jain temples in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and other places. 

Police sources said Sureshkumar, 58, of Purasawalkam, who serves as the general secretary of the Sri Chandraprabhu Jain Naya Mandir temple trust located on Mint Street, Elephant Gate, found on February 14, 2025, that the temple locks had been broken.

Five silver crowns weighing around 10 kg in total, which adorned the idols, and gold forehead plates weighing about 600 grams had been stolen. Based on his complaint, the Elephant Gate Crime Wing launched an investigation. 

A special team of police examined CCTV footage installed at the temple and found that a masked man had carried out the theft at night using a torchlight. Police also discovered that the same individual was involved in similar thefts at two Jain temples in Telangana.

Further investigation revealed that the accused had earlier been arrested in a case in Karnataka, released on bail, and had failed to appear before the court, leading to the issuance of a non-bailable warrant against him. He had frequently changed locations and was found to be hiding in Pune, Maharashtra.

The police team rushed to Pune, conducted surveillance, and arrested Jeevan Singh of Haveli Taluk in Pune on February 8, 2026. Based on his confession, police also arrested Rajbhau Rathod, 30, of Wadwani district, Maharashtra, who had allegedly purchased the stolen ornaments.

Both accused were produced on February 9, before the Judicial Magistrate Court in Belapur, Navi Mumbai. The second accused, Rajbhau Rathod, was released, while a transit warrant was obtained for the prime accused, Jeevan Singh, who was brought to Chennai on February 11. 

Further inquiry revealed that Jeevan Singh was also involved in similar temple thefts in Salem and Chengalpattu districts in Tamil Nadu, as well as in Karnataka and Telangana.