The Gandhinagar police on Saturday took a person into custody in connection with the alleged desecration of a temple donation box near Kumaranallur here on Satuday.
Official sources said the person, reportedly an inter-State thief, had damaged the box with an intention to loot it.
They chanced on the suspect while interrogating him in connection with the theft of a motorcycle from the region the other day.
Found damaged
The donation box, located under the Kumaranallur rail overbridge, was found damaged on Saturday morning, also triggering speculations of a politically motivated attack.
A swift intervention by the police, which first ruled out the desecration theory and then took a theft suspect into custody, prevented the spread of rumours.
The suspect is currently being subjected to interrogation and his arrest will be recorded later in the day, sources said.
Meanwhile, the police have confirmed the presence of the suspect near the crime scene by verifying a CCTV footage.