Chhatarpur (Madhya Pradesh): Thieves made off with valuables worth approximately ₹1.25 lakh, including a crown, a ceremonial umbrella, and cash from the donation box from the newly constructed Prakateshwar
Balaji Temple in Madhya Pradesh's Chhatarpur.
The incident happened within the Hari Siddha complex on Simariya Road in Brijpura village under the Civil Lines police station area in Chhatarpur.
A grand Yagya (ritual fire ceremony) had recently been organised at the temple, followed by the consecration ('Pran-Pratishtha') of the Balaji idol.
Since then, the temple had become a major centre of faith for devotees in the area, and expansion work was underway with the support of donors.
Villager Matthar Patel stated that he arrived at the temple with flowers for worship around 5:30 am, as usual, only to find the lock broken.
Upon entering, he discovered that several items were missing, Lord Balaji’s crown, ceremonial umbrella, eyes, 'tilak' (forehead mark), eyebrows, cymbals, 'jhinka', and lights.
Additionally, about ₹14,000 from the donation box and other cash kept in the temple, totalling between ₹1 lakh and ₹1.25 lakh, were gone. Brijpura Sarpanch Aditya Mishra was immediately informed of the incident.
Upon receiving the information, the Sarpanch alerted the 'Dial-112' service and the Civil Lines police.
SHO Ashutosh Shrotiya arrived at the scene with a police team and inspected the premises. The police have registered a case and launched an investigation.
The police stated that a search for the accused is underway based on CCTV footage from surrounding areas and other evidence; the theft will be solved, and the culprits arrested soon.
