Mumbai man held for stealing gold crown, chain from Jain temple in Pune

Pune, Dec 9 (PTI) A Mumbai-based man was arrested for allegedly stealing gold ornaments from a Jain temple in Pune's Swargate area, a police official said on Monday.

The official identified the accused as Naresh Jain, a resident of Girgaon in south Mumbai, who has 8-10 criminal cases against his name.

"On November 15, a gold crown and a gold chain were stolen from the idol of a Jain temple. Attempts to steal such ornaments were made at three to four other temples on the same day. A check of the CCTV footage helped us zero in on a man who was moving about as a Jain 'sadhak'," Swargate police station senior inspector Yuvraj Nandre said.

Based on a tip off received by policeman Sahar Kekan, Jain was held from Girgaon and a gold crown and chain worth Rs 4.20 lakh were recovered from him, Nandre said.

"The accused has claimed he committed the theft to tide over a financial crisis. He is also accused of committing 8-10 such crimes in Ghatkopar and Dombivali in Mumbai. The theft in Dombivali took place in January this year," the official said. PTI SPK BNM