Nagpur: Miscreants broke into a shrine in the vegetable market area of Itwari late on Tuesday night and fled with Rs 70,000 cash from the donation box, police said.Several places of worship across the city have been targeted in recent months. In the latest case, complainant Haribhau Raut (60), a resident of Zade Chowk in Lalganj, told police that he had locked the temple around 10 pm on Aug 18 after evening prayers.On Aug 19, around 4.35 am, neighbour Prabhat Awthankar alerted him that the main door was open and the lock broken.Raut found the lock of the steel donation box missing and the cash stolen. A case was registered under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for housebreaking and theft. The accused remain at large.Tehsil police have launched an investigation and are examining CCTV footage from the vegetable market area to identify the accused.In one such incident captured on CCTV recently, a thief was seen seeking pardon from the deity after committing the crime. He was later identified and arrested by police.Police officers have urged temple managements to strengthen security, install better lighting and surveillance, and avoid keeping large amounts of cash in donation boxes overnight.
