For nearly ten years, temples across Chhattisgarh’s Durg district suffered mysterious thefts from their donation boxes. On Thursday, police finally cracked the case, arresting a 45-year-old man who admitted to stealing cash as an “act of revenge against god.”
The accused, HIV-positive, told police he lost faith in religion after contracting the virus while serving a prison sentence in 2012. Blaming god for his condition, he targeted temples, stealing only cash while leaving ornaments untouched.
His last theft, at a Jain temple on August 23–24, led to his arrest. Police recovered stolen coins worth INR 1,282 and his scooter. Investigators used CCTV footage, the Trinayan app, and informers to trace his movements despite his attempts to evade cameras by changing clothes and using narrow lanes.
He has confessed to at least 10 thefts in Durg and Bhilai, though police believe the number is higher. Senior officials said he rationalized his crimes as survival, claiming temple donations “belonged to god” and were his to use. The accused is now in 14-day judicial custody