Jaisalmer: Masked thieves broke into the Majisa temple on Gadra Road in Barmer district, stealing nearly 23 tolas of gold ornaments, cash, and other valuable items late Sunday night. The theft was discovered by devotees who arrived for the morning darshan Monday.Preliminary police probe indicated that the theft transpired between Sunday night and the early hours of Monday morning, with footage from the temple’s CCTV cameras capturing the entire crime. The footage revealed three masked individuals entering the premises with iron rods, breaking locks and gates to gain access to the temple’s center lock, where they took the gold ornaments dedicated to Mataji (goddess). The thieves, who were reported to be operational for about an hour and a half, left behind two broken locks at the temple’s main and side gates, while also attempting to breach the lock of the main storehouse. Barmer SP Narendra Singh Meena and Additional SP Nitesh Arya, along with other police officials, reached the crime scene to assess the situation and ensure the safety of the temple and its devotees. Following the initial investigation, teams from the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) and a dog squad were summoned to collect evidence and trace the thieves. Community anger was palpable as temple trustees and devotees gathered to express their discontent over the breach of security. SP Meena addressed the crowd, reassuring them that the police were working diligently to nab the culprits, emphasising that the loss of valuables was exclusively gold—left silver utensils were behind—suggesting insider knowledge of the temple’s layout and security. Meena committed to cracking the case by Tuesday evening. Temple trustee Ashok Bhunia said thefts have occurred in the area earlier too, calling it the fifth or sixth such incident. The temple’s Pran-Pratishtha ceremony was held earlier this year. Bhunia lamented the fact that despite recent construction and enhancements to the temple, the thieves could bypass security measures so easily. The temple’s Pran-Pratishtha ceremony was held earlier this year.
