Alert priest thwarts temple loot attempt

RAJKOT: Five robbers with covered faces allegedly attacked a priest in Ratanpar village temple near Rajkot and looted gold ornaments worn by his wife. However, when the robbers were demanding the key of the donation box, the priest managed to misguide them with wrong information and escaped the premises to inform other villagers.
Suresh Nimavat (56) and his wife Madhu (52) stay in the Panchdevi Ashram temple of Ratanpur village on Morbi road in the outskirts of Rajkot. According to the complaint, Nimavat was sleeping in the hall of the temple when at around 1:30am somebody threw him down on the ground. He was then attacked by robbers who were speaking in Hindi asking him to hand over the temple’s valuables. His wife, who was sleeping beside him, was also attacked and the thieves forced her to hand over the jewellery she was wearing.
Nimavat told police that the robbers asked him to hand them the keys of temple’s donation box. But he said he didn’t have it and that possibly it may be kept behind the idols in the temple.
The robbers then took him on the upper side of the temple to find the keys, but as soon as he saw an escape route, the priest fled to the village and asked for help. Villagers soon ran towards the temple and when the robbers saw people coming in huge numbers fled the premises. The priest and his wife have been admitted to Rajkot civil hospital.
Cops have alerted neighbouring districts to keep watch on suspicious persons and are also checking CCTV footage of the road.