A teenager has been arrested in Chattogram’s Raozan for allegedly entering a family temple in the guise of a Hindu devotee and stealing jewellery offered to a deity. Police said they recovered most of the stolen gold and silver ornaments from his home within six hours of the incident. The recovered jewellery is estimated to be worth around Tk 510,000.
The theft took place at the family temple of Monsha Mata at the Singh residence in Ward No. 7 of Chikdair Union, Raozan, at about 12.15pm on Saturday, 22 August.
The arrested suspect has been identified as 18-year-old Mushfikur Rahman Siam, son of motor mechanic Mizanur Rahman of Kagtia village in West Guzra Union, Raozan.
According to the case statement and police, the temple priest had completed the regular worship and briefly left the temple to visit a neighbouring house. The teenager allegedly used the opportunity to enter the temple and take jewellery placed on the idol before leaving the premises.
The incident was reported to police shortly afterwards. Officers reached the scene, collected evidence and obtained footage from the temple’s closed-circuit television cameras. The footage was reviewed alongside other information gathered during the initial investigation. Police also used information technology to trace the suspected offender’s whereabouts.
An operation was subsequently conducted in the Kagtia area of West Guzra Union. Siam was arrested there later that evening, roughly six hours after the theft.
The CCTV footage reportedly shows a young man arriving on foot at around 12.13pm. He stands in front of the temple and joins his hands in what appears to be a gesture of devotion, while looking around the area. He then enters the temple through the bars of the grille. Around three minutes later, he is seen leaving the site quickly.
Following his arrest, police searched Siam’s bedroom and found a number of the stolen ornaments inside a steel almirah. The recovered gold jewellery includes a pair of earrings, a head ornament known as a tikli, a locket and two ornaments shaped like bel leaves. Together, the gold items weigh two bhori and one ana and have an estimated market value of Tk 495,000.
Police also recovered a four-bhori silver necklace and a pair of silver anklets, with an estimated combined value of Tk 15,000. Most of the jewellery reported stolen was therefore recovered during the operation.
The incident has also drawn attention to the role of CCTV footage in the investigation. The camera recordings provided police with a visual account of the suspect’s movements around the time of the theft, while information gathered from the scene helped investigators identify and locate him.
Ashutosh Singh, founder of the temple, filed a case with Raozan Police Station on Sunday afternoon, 23 August. Siam was subsequently shown arrested in connection with the case and produced before a court. The court ordered that he be sent to jail.
Raozan Police Station Officer-in-Charge Saiful Islam said officers began investigating immediately after receiving information about the theft. Police collected CCTV footage and other evidence from the scene and used information technology to identify and arrest the suspect. Most of the stolen jewellery was also recovered from his residence, he said.
Police said they initially believe the theft may have been pre-planned. The investigation is continuing to establish whether anyone else was involved and to determine whether any other items were stolen from the temple.
