300-year-old Hindu temple looted, Hanuman idol vandalised by Muslim men in Sambhajinagar, Maharashtra
Aurangabad, Maharashtra, India 
23 January, 2026
Case Summary
In Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Lord Hanuman’s sacred idol was desecrated by five Muslim men, namely Amjad Khan, Salim Khan, Sheikh Shoaib Sheikh Baba, Sheikh Sameer Sheikh Salim, Sheikh Aamer Sheikh Nabbu, and Imran Khan alias Imma Yunus Khan. After breaking into the temple by cutting the channel gates, they took away property worth ₹2.8 lakh from the premises. The theft came to light on the morning of 24 January when Lakshmi Chakrawar went to clean the temple. The trust had appointed Lakshmi Chakrawar to take care of the temple’s cleaning. As usual, she reached the temple around 5 a.m. on Saturday and noticed that the lock of the main channel gate had been broken. She immediately informed temple president Sanjay Barwal, who rushed to the spot along with others. The officer in charge of Chhawani Police Station, Dr Vivek Jadhav, and Sub-Inspector Sachin Gadekar also arrived. The famous Hanuman temple, which was between 250 and 300 years old, stood on the Karnapura–Regional Transport Office road in Padampura. It was located next to a main road that witnessed vehicle movement throughout the night. Nevertheless, the thieves broke open the channel gate at around 3.47 a.m. and entered the premises. They remained inside the temple for nearly 37 minutes. The perpetrators forcibly removed sacred gold and silver ornaments from the idol, including a gold tilak plate affixed to the forehead, silver eyebrows, silver anklets from both feet, silver eyes, and a silver trident attached to the forehead of the idol. Cash was also taken from two donation boxes, and money was kept in a cupboard inside the temple premises. The total value of the stolen property was estimated at approximately ₹2.8 lakh. A complaint was lodged by Sanjay Hanumantrao Barwal, following which a case was registered at Chhawani Police Station. During the investigation, police conducted parallel probes using closed-circuit television footage, technical analysis, and confidential inputs. Within hours, five accused were detained. The arrested individuals were identified as Amjad Khan, Salim Khan (28) of Jalal Colony, Sheikh Shoaib Sheikh Baba (30) of Alhilal Colony, Sheikh Sameer Sheikh Salim (23) of Katkat Gate, Sheikh Aamer Sheikh Nabbu (29) of Rozabag, and Imran Khan, alias Imma Yunus Khan (22) of Katkat Gate. All were residents of Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar. Furthermore, police recovered stolen property and vehicles worth around ₹2 lakh within 15 hours of the offence. All accused were handed over to Chhawani Police for legal action. Further investigation was underway to ascertain whether the group had been involved in similar offences elsewhere. Following the incident, a crowd gathered in the morning, leading to rising tension. Deputy Commissioner of Police Pankaj Atulkar and Assistant Commissioner of Police Bhagirathi Pawar held discussions with locals. Later, new ornaments were placed on the idol, and abhishekam was performed.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been placed in the Undecided Database of the Hinduphobia Tracker. It involves the desecration and looting of a sacred Hindu space, an act that, by its very nature, strikes at the heart of Hindu religious life. Temples occupy a central position in Hindu Dharma, functioning not only as places of worship but also as living repositories of cultural continuity, devotion, and community cohesion. An attack on such an institution, even when committed under the pretext of theft, inherently carries the risk of being driven or interpreted through the prism of religious hostility. Throughout India’s history, incidents of temple vandalism and looting have often overlapped with communal or faith-based animus, making it essential to scrutinise such crimes for underlying motives beyond material gain. The theft itself appears secondary to the symbolic desecration of a site that holds immense spiritual significance. However, the present investigation has not produced any explicit evidence establishing religious animosity or ideological intent. Given the absence of clear proof of a communal motive, the case is, for now, categorised under the “Undecided” database. Nevertheless, the context of the crime, the deliberate targeting of a functioning Hindu temple and the calculated destruction of the idol of the deity, warrants close monitoring. Should subsequent inquiry reveal evidence of religious hatred or a pattern linking this event to broader anti-Hindu sentiment, it will be reclassified as a religiously motivated hate crime within the Hinduphobia Tracker.
Case Status
Arrested
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
From 2 To 5
Perpetrators Gender
male
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