Undercover operation in Madhya Pradesh: Police crack Hanuman temple heist, arrest female-dressed robbers – Times of India

BHOPAL: Police in Guna district of Madhya Pradesh claim to have solved the Hanuman temple robbery case with the arrest of a gang from Rajasthan. Police arrested the robbers after a 20-day-long investigation.
They posed as govt surveyors to reach the robbers who had dressed as women to infiltrate the temple.
Three persons, including a jeweller, have so far been arrested.
The breakthrough came 14 days after the robbery when police analysed CCTV footage from over 500 cameras in the area. This led them to the gang’s hideout in Rajasthan. Three accused, including a goldsmith who had melted the stolen silver ornaments, were arrested.
The Hanuman Tekri temple is a historic site. The robbery posed a significant challenge for the police, who formed a special investigation team (SIT) to apprehend the culprits. The SIT, led by SP Sanjeev Kumar Sinha, included two DSPs, two TIs, SIs, constables, and a three-member cyber team.
Despite initial setbacks, the team’s efforts eventually paid off. They traced the robbers’ escape route through CCTV footage, identifying their presence in various locations in Rajasthan.
The police received a crucial clue when they observed six individuals on two bikes in CCTV footage from Cheem village. Although the faces and vehicle numbers were obscured, the footage matched the description of the robbers seen at the crime scene.
Following the trail of the bikes, the police team crossed the border into Rajasthan and eventually reached Kamkheda, a town known for its Balaji temple. Despite difficulties due to switched-off CCTV cameras, the police managed to obtain information about the gang’s presence in the area.
Two police constables, Navdeep Agarwal and Rajiv Shukla, were sent undercover as govt surveyors to infiltrate the gang’s camps. Their efforts revealed suspicious activity, leading the police to raid a house believed to be associated with the robbers.
Although the main suspects had fled by the time of the raid, the police found evidence linking the family to the crime. A woman named Shanti Bai admitted that her seven sons and their families had escaped the night of the robbery. The stolen silver jewellery was recovered from behind a house where it was buried.