Delhi: Fake priest stole gold & diamond-studded kalash, held

Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Surender Kumar said Bhushan attended the event dressed as a Jain priest and performed sewa for two days to ensure no one suspected him. During this time, he conducted reconnaissance and studied the routine and security arrangements in place.

Bhushan was allegedly confident that he would not be caught, as he had committed a similar theft last month at another religious event of the Jains in Anand Vihar, Shahdara.

Kumar said Bhushan was arrested along with his two associates – Ankit Patil and Gaurav Kumar Verma – for melting the ornaments and for receiving the melted gold, respectively, in Hapur, on Sunday night. “One big gold and diamond-studded kalash was recovered from Bhushan’s residence in Hapur, while approximately 150 gm of melted gold was found on Gaurav,” he added.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Pankaj Kumar Singh said Bhushan is a habitual offender and has committed thefts in the past as well.

He added that in 2016, Bhushan was caught red-handed while stealing nurses’ purses at BLK Hospital in Prasad Nagar. On August 7, he had stolen a similar but small kalash, weighing around 40 gm, at another Jain event in Anand Vihar.

Police said that after this incident, Bhushan believed he could find more gold at such events. “So, he searched for Jain temple events on YouTube and other social media platforms. That’s how he discovered the Jain Parv Pandal event scheduled to take place at 15 August Park near Red Fort, between August 28 and September 9,” Singh said.

Police said the three accused stayed at Vaishali Enclave in Hapur. Bhushan lived with his wife and two children.

The theft had taken place during the event that was attended by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla. The ritual pot disappeared from the stage amid the rush during the ceremonial welcome. CCTV camera footage showed the suspect leaving the event after stealing the item. Kumar said that with the help of the e-Face app, which helps in recognising people with previous criminal records, Bhushan’s face (matched with CCTV footage) came up in the list of criminals. Then with the help of e-Prisons app, his residential and other identification details were ascertained.