In a brazen incident, Barota village in Karnal District, struck with shockwaves on Monday, when 6 robbers dressed as police officers stormed a local temple and stole the priest’s valuables.
Kewal Das temple which is a local temple in Karnal district was under the watchful eyes of the Madhuban police station but that didn’t affect the ill motives of the preparators. According to the priest of the temple the whole incident occurred around 1:00 AM while he was sleeping
While recounting the whole terrifying experience, Das claimed that the robbers were armed and wore what appeared to be genuine police uniforms. They barged into the temple, while waking him up, they claimed that they were sent from the Ssadar police station and had intel on 50 kilograms of hidden marijuana stashed in hirs quarters.
Das further explained how under the guise of search these fake police officers confiscated his jewellery on a pretext of frisking him. They also held him in captivity in another room while ransacking another area for loot. Das reported that this haul also included 4 Kilograms of desi ghee and a stereo system, adding insult to injury.Along with jewellery the robbers also stole around Rs 30,000 cash from the priest.
The nightmare only ended after the sunrise. After gaining freedom, Das immediately contacted the village headmen, the sarpanch who then alerted the authorities about the incident.
Police wasted no time and a team accompanied by forensic experts reached the crime scene, securing evidence, collecting samples and CCTV footage from nearby cameras was combed through in search of clues.
The Criminal Investigation Agency (CIA) also joined, and launched their investigation into the incident, Naresh Kumar, Sub-inspector of the Madhuban police station confirmed that a case has been filed against unidentified individuals. The charges pressed include armed robbery, theft by force, criminal breach of trust by public servant and impersonation under sections of Sections 395, 397, 379 B and 171 of the IPC, respectively.
This incident has raised serious concerns about the audacity of the criminals and lapses in the security. A house of worship, a place presumed to be safe, was violated by individuals who not only stole valuables but also tarnished the reputation of law officers by posing as police officers. Although it is yet to be clear whether the robbers’ uniforms were genuine police uniforms they might have stolen or replicas.
The ongoing investigation seeks to identify and apprehend the looters while villagers in Barota are still shocked from the incident. This act of crime has shattered the serenity of the community. This has also put the law enforcers under immense pressure to deliver swift justice and restore a sense of security to the shaken community. Hopefully, further investigation will lead to the arrest of the perpetrators and also will clarify the escape route or weaponry used to conduct this robbery.
