Mumbai, May 15 (IANS) A thief was caught red-handed on Friday morning while allegedly stealing money from the donation box at the famous Siddhivinayak Temple located in the Dombivli MIDC residential area, police officials said.

The incident took place at around 6.34 A.M. and the entire act was captured on CCTV cameras installed inside the temple premises.

According to information, the accused entered the temple pretending to be a devotee coming to offer prayers. After spending some time inside the temple, he allegedly used a thin wooden stick coated with glue to pull currency notes out of the donation box without drawing attention from people around him.

Temple authorities later noticed suspicious activity while monitoring the CCTV footage. Acting promptly, temple treasurer Chandrashekhar Shinde, along with devotee Pandurang Ude, who had come to the temple for darshan early in the morning, confronted the accused and caught him on the spot before he could flee.

The accused was subsequently handed over to the Manpada Police station for further investigation and legal action.

Police sources said the accused had already managed to remove a considerable amount of cash from the donation box before being apprehended. Officials are currently questioning him to determine whether he was involved in similar theft incidents in the area in the past.

The Siddhivinayak Temple is regarded as a major centre of faith for residents of the Dombivli MIDC locality and attracts a large number of devotees every day, especially during morning and evening prayer hours.

Following the incident, local residents praised the alertness and courage shown by Chandrashekhar Shinde and Pandurang Ude in catching the accused.

Residents also expressed concern over the growing incidents of theft and house break-ins in the locality and urged the police administration to increase patrolling and strengthen security arrangements in the area to prevent such crimes in future.

–IANS

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