Police have apprehended a 26-year-old man on charges of breaking into a temple and pilfering cash from the donation box in Maharashtra's Palghar district. The police on Friday arrested Shabbir alias Fateh Murtaza Ali Sheikh, a resident of Nalla Sopara, for allegedly breaking into a temple in the Girij area, senior inspector Ranjit Andale said.
The accused had entered the temple around 2 am on October 8 and decamped with Rs 4,500 cash from the donation box, he said. The Vasai police registered an offence and formed two teams to nab the accused, the official said.
CCTV footage from the area showed the accused exiting the temple and driving away an autorickshaw. Investigations revealed that the vehicle had been stolen from the limits of Valiv police station, he said.
During interrogation, the accused said he was involved in three more crimes in Valiv, Vasai and Manikpur police station limits, the official said, adding that the stolen cash and autorickshaw have been recovered.