Hanuman temple in Bhilwara robbed; donation box, silver throne and ornaments stolen
Bhilwara, Rajasthan, India 
17 June, 2025
Case Summary
In Bhilwara, Rajasthan, a Hanuman temple was targeted by unidentified thieves late at night. The miscreants broke the lock on the temple’s channel gate, entered the premises, and stole cash from the donation box, silver coins, and a silver throne. The incident came to light when the temple priest arrived in the morning and found the temple in disarray. Upon receiving the information, the police arrived at the scene and began an investigation. Jitendra Acharya, the temple priest and caretaker, stated that the thieves had broken the lock of the temple’s channel gate and also forced open the lock on the glass gate of the inner sanctum. They broke open the donation box and stole the cash offerings stored inside. As news of the theft spread, a large number of devotees gathered at the temple and expressed their outrage over the incident. Banera police, upon being informed, arrived at the scene and registered a case based on the complaint lodged by the priest. Station in-charge Hari Singh confirmed that a case has been filed involving the theft of cash from the donation box, silver coins, a silver throne, and ornaments. The crime scene was inspected, and efforts were underway to identify and apprehend the culprits.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This incident involving the looting of a Hindu temple could potentially be categorised as a religiously motivated crime against a Hindu institution. Given the central significance of Temples in Hindu Dharma, any attack, vandalism, or loot against a Hindu Temple or its peripheral premises is an attack on the faith itself and is often born out of animosity towards the faith, of which the temple is a central tenet. Any sort of attack against a Temple and/or its premises would therefore be considered a religiously motivated hate crime. In many cases, it is noticed that non-Hindus, out of religious animosity, loot or attack Hindu temples. However, in this case, there is currently no explicit evidence suggesting religious motivation behind the crime; therefore, it is being classified under the "Undecided" database. If any further information emerges that points to this being a crime motivated by religious animosity, then it would be reclassified as a Hate Crime.
Case Status
Complaint filed
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Unknown
Perpetrators Range
Unknown
Perpetrators Gender
unknown
Sources 
