A view of Shakti Mandir, where the robbery occurred. Picture by Gautam Dey

Dhanbad, April 18: Ornaments worth Rs 4 lakh and Rs 5,000 were robbed from Shakti Mandir, located about two km from the district headquarters, late Tuesday night.

According to the statement temple manager Swarnajeet Bhatia gave the police, two earrings, one nose pin, one head ornament, two bracelets, four necklaces and two forehead masks are missing. Besides these gold ornaments, small brass idols of Hanuman, gold and silver bangles have also been robbed.

Shakti Mandir, situated between Dhansar and Bank Morh police stations, is a popular temple in Dhanbad and was established in 1982, said a member of the temple trust.

The trustees said the robbery is the handiwork of insiders. The police are yet to confirm this.

“Eleven locks, including the most critical one inside the temple hall, have been broken. It must have been the work insiders as the noise of breaking the locks would have been loud and the two night guards were on constant vigil,” said a temple trustee.

The trustees also said the loss was more than what the police have recorded.

According to the trust members, the cash collected in the boxes every month is generally over Rs 40,000. The money is used to pay the salaries of the 12 temple staff, for constructions and also in running a medical centre.

As of now, a part of the deposits were being used for the construction of a building worth Rs 22 lakh with a capacity to accommodate over 500 people.

The deputy superintendent of police law and order, Varun Kumar Mishra, who reached the temple just after the theft was reported, said the guards, Dharmendra Sao and Devbrata Kumar, who were on duty during the night of the robbery, have been held for interrogation. Police squads have been given special instructions to keep in touch with temple priests and take stock of situations at various temples, he added.

A couple of days ago, Rs 20,000 was looted from a gurdwara and a temple in Patherdih, 18 km from the district headquarters. More such thefts have occurred in over six temples in Dhanbad in the past six months.