Udaipur, May 18: The ancient Chamunda Mataji Temple in Udaipur district has fallen victim to thieves once again. Late Saturday night, around 1 AM, two masked intruders broke into the temple and stole cash from the donation box. The entire incident was captured on the temple’s CCTV cameras.
Footage shows one thief arriving with a bag while the other extracted notes from the donation box and filled the bag. After collecting the cash, both suspects stuffed notes into their pockets and fled the scene.
When the priest arrived for morning prayers on Sunday, he found the donation box broken and the cash missing. The police were notified, and an investigation has commenced. Initial estimates suggest that between ₹10,000 to ₹15,000 was kept in the donation box.
This is not the first time the temple has been targeted; villagers report a similar incident occurred about a year ago when thieves made off with a large bell worth approximately ₹55,000 and other worship materials. Local elder Suraj Singh (81) noted that despite requests for increased police patrols, security measures have not been strengthened.
Assistant Sub-Inspector Suresh Singh stated that CCTV footage from the temple and surrounding areas is being reviewed to identify the culprits, and efforts are underway to apprehend them and recover the stolen cash.