Priest arrested for stealing jewellery from Jain temple in Chennai

The police said the accused, Vijay Rawal, hailed from Valsad in Gujarat. He stole the jewellery with the help of a person named Mahendran, who is on the run, they said.

According to the complaint lodged by the girl’s father, the boy lured her into going to Delhi with him. A case was registered on March 17. (Representational)

The Chennai city police arrested Sunday a 37-year-old man from Gujarat for allegedly stealing jewellery from a Jain temple in Kilpauk where he was working as a priest. The accused was identified as Vijay Rawal of Valsad.

According to the police, on July 13, Meena Chakriya, a trustee of an organisation managing the temple, visited the temple carrying 46 sovereigns of jewellery for decorating the deities. It included a gold plate, gold cup and gold agarbatti stand among others.

According to her complaint, after finishing her puja, she kept the jewellery in a bag and when she came back, she found the valuables to be missing. A complaint was filed at the Kilpauk police station.

A team led by the Kilpauk station crime inspector visited the spot and carried out the investigation. The CCTV footage was analysed and found that Rawal and his friend Mahendran were behind the heist.

The police recovered the jewellery from Rawal and remanded him in judicial custody. They also formed a special force to nab the absconding Mahendran.

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