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Former Guard Arrested In Mumbai Jain Temple Heist With Rs 1.75 Crore Jewellery Recovered

The case exposes weak vetting of private guards at residential temples.

Overview

  • The theft was discovered Monday morning when a priest opened the Jain temple inside the Avighna Park complex and found ornaments worth Rs 1.75 crore missing.
  • Investigators said the thief broke the door latch around 3 am after learning the temple’s hours during his stint as a security guard.
  • Kalachowki police formed special teams, reviewed roughly 200–300 CCTV feeds, and used a hotel payment record to obtain his mobile number before tracing him to Bhind in Madhya Pradesh.
  • Officers arrested Jitendra, who uses the aliases Jitan, Bunty, and Pandit Nagaich, after a rooftop chase in Bhind and recovered all the stolen jewellery.
  • Police reported 17 prior cases against him in Madhya Pradesh and noted he was hired through a private security agency, prompting scrutiny of background checks for guards at religious sites in residential towers.