Hindu temple in Madhya Pradesh targeted in premeditated overnight robbery as thieves steal sacred crowns from deity idols
Khandwa, Madhya Pradesh, India 
13 May, 2026
Case Summary
A Hindu temple, the Manokamneshwar Hanuman Mandir located in Kishor Nagar, Khandwa, Madhya Pradesh, was targeted by thieves at approximately 3am who stole silver crowns placed on the idols of Bhagwan Hanuman [one of the most widely venerated deities in Hinduism, revered as the divine embodiment of strength, devotion, and protection], Bhagwan Shiv [one of the principal deities of Hinduism, worshipped as the supreme consciousness and destroyer within the cosmic cycle of creation, preservation, and dissolution], and other deities, along with brass idols and cash from the donation box. The total weight of the stolen silver crowns was approximately seven kilograms, valued at lakhs of rupees. As per details, the theft was discovered on the morning of the incident when Ram Upadhyay, son of temple priest Manoj Upadhyay, arrived to open the temple gate and found the door latch broken. Upon entering, he discovered that the silver crowns on the deity idols were missing. The thieves had executed the operation with significant premeditation: they switched off the temple's lights during the act and formatted the entire CCTV camera footage to destroy evidence and prevent identification. Moghut Road police station in-charge Dheeresh Dharwal and CSP Abhinav Barange reached the scene immediately upon receiving information and began investigation. SP Agam Jain and Additional SP Mahendra Taraneker subsequently visited the temple and assessed the scene. CCTV and Forensic Science Laboratory [FSL] teams were deployed at the scene. CSP Barange confirmed the details of the theft and stated that the perpetrators would be identified and apprehended. Police were engaged in searching for the accused at the time of publication. No arrests were confirmed.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This incident has been added to the Undecided database of the Hinduphobia Tracker. The theft at the Manokamneshwar Hanuman Mandir in Kishor Nagar, Khandwa involved the stealing of silver crowns from Hindu deity idols and cash from the donation box by unidentified perpetrators who demonstrated significant premeditation in executing the act. The targeting of a Hindu temple and the theft of sacred adornments from Hindu deity idols could potentially reflect a crime motivated by religious profiling, as it has been observed that in many cases, perpetrators specifically target Hindu places of worship due to inherent animosity toward Hindus and their religious symbols. Hindu temples and their sacred contents are particularly vulnerable to such targeting, and the deliberate selection of a Hindu religious site as the location for the theft could suggest that the perpetrators were motivated by more than the monetary value of the stolen items. However, it is also possible that the crime was one of opportunity, where the temple was targeted primarily because of the significant monetary value of approximately seven kilograms of silver crowns rather than because of its religious character. The fact that the idols themselves were not physically damaged or desecrated distinguishes this case from documented acts of religiously motivated iconoclasm, where the destruction of Hindu religious objects rather than their monetary value is the primary objective. A purely financially motivated perpetrator would target the most valuable portable items in any accessible location, and a temple containing silver crowns worth lakhs of rupees would represent an attractive target regardless of its religious character. Nevertheless, this remains speculative, as the perpetrators are unidentified and the case details provide no clear indication of religious motivation. Neither the temple priest nor any other source referenced in the case made any statement suggesting a religious motive behind the theft. For this reason, this case has been added to the Undecided database. If further information emerges that establishes the identity or religious motivation of the perpetrators, this case would be reclassified and included under the hate crime database of the tracker.
Case Status
Complaint filed
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Unknown
Perpetrators Range
Unknown
Perpetrators Gender
unknown
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