Pune: A theft occurred at the historic Peshwa-era Omkareshwar Temple in Pune, where robbers broke open the donation box and stole ₹6,000. The incident took place around midnight on Saturday and was discovered on Sunday (October 6) morning. Vishrambaug Police have registered a case and are investigating the matter.

Kaustubh Ulhas Gade, a resident and caretaker of the temple, filed the complaint at the Vishrambaug Police Station. According to the report, the thief entered the temple’s sanctum and broke the lock on the donation box, stealing cash amounting to ₹6000.

The crime was uncovered on Sunday morning when the temple authorities noticed the broken lock and missing cash. They immediately alerted the police.

Upon receiving the complaint, Police Inspector (Crime) Arun Ghodke visited the scene and conducted an initial investigation. CCTV footage from the temple premises has been retrieved, and police are using it to track down the culprit. Police Sub-Inspector Patil is leading the investigation, and authorities are confident of making an arrest soon.

This theft comes on the heels of similar incidents in Pune’s temples, including recent robberies at Shri Tarkeshwar Temple in Yerawada and donation boxes at Navratrotsav Mandal in Shaniwar Peth and Pragatisheel Mandal in Narayan Peth. In those cases, the police had arrested a thief and a juvenile from Aundh.

Recently, Yerawada Police had arrested a gang responsible for stealing ₹2 lakh from the donation boxes of the historic Pandav-era Tarkeshwar Temple in Yerawada.

The theft took place on June 4, 2024, between 1:30 AM and 5:45 AM, when the thieves broke into the temple by forcing open the main door. Once inside, they broke six steel donation boxes and made off with the cash.