Police investigate the theft at the Shakambari Devi Temple in Sector-43, Chandigarh, on Thursday. Express

BURGLARS STRUCK at the shrine of Maa Shakumbhri Devi in Sector 43 and took away huge silver ornaments worth Rs 3.30 lakh on Wednesday night.

Two suspects with covered faces were captured on CCTV cameras installed inside the shrine.

The burglars entered the shrine premises after scaling the boundary wall.

They entered the main hall from the roof after breaking iron grills. The stolen valuables included a silver crown from the deity of Maa Shakumbhri Devi, three silver decorative umbrellas, charan padukas (slippers) made of silver, and an idol of Lord Ganesha.

Two watchmen and priests were sleeping inside the temple premises when the burglars struck.

According to the CCTV footage, the burglars entered at 1.30 am and left the temple around 2.15 am. The burglars also changed the direction of one of the CCTV cameras.

The burglary came to light when one of the watchmen woke up in the morning and noticed all the valuables were missing.

He called the head priest, Rajesh Shukla. Shukla dialled the police control room.

Three police parties — one each from ISBT-43 police post, Sector 36 police station, and PCR wing — rushed to the spot. ASP (south) Neha Yadav and the Station House Officer of Sector 36, Inspector Ranjodh Singh, visited the spot.
A finger expert team collected a few samples.
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A police officer said, “The approximate worth of stolen valuables was around Rs 3.30 lakh. The footage shows faces of both the suspects were covered. We are verifying the status of the members of a Delhi-based gang, which was busted in Chandigarh in 2018. The gang was involved in at least nine burglaries at different shrines in Chandigarh.” A case was registered at the Sector 36 police station.