Ayyappa temple burglary in northwest Delhi solved; two held, artefacts recovered

New Delhi, Jan 20 (PTI) The Delhi Police has cracked a robbery at an Ayyappa temple in northwest Delhi's Rohini area, arresting a burglar and a receiver of stolen goods, and recovering all the stolen articles, an official said on Tuesday.

The theft was reported on January 17 at the Ayyappa Temple in Sector 7 in Rohini, after the complainant, M K Suresh, joint secretary of the temple trust, found that several ritual brass and copper artefacts kept near the deity were missing when the shrine was reopened in the early hours, police said.

An FIR was registered at the North Rohini police station, following which a team was constituted and investigation was taken up.

The police deployed human intelligence and technical surveillance to trace the suspects. During the investigation, police identified Rakesh Mehto (22) and apprehended him from his hideout on Monday, Additional Commissioner of Police (Rohini) Rajeev Ranjan said.

During interrogation, Mehto confessed to his involvement in the temple burglary. On his disclosure, the team conducted a raid at a shop-cum-residence of the alleged receiver, Muneem Gupta (42), a resident of Naharpur village, and recovered all the stolen artefacts from his possession.

Police said the recovered items include four brass lamps, two brass water pots and three copper urns, all of which belong to the temple. Both the accused have been arrested in the case.

"Mehto has been previously involved in a burglary case, while Gupta, who owns a scrap shop, also has a prior involvement in a similar offence," the officer said. PTI BM BM ARB ARB