Hindu temple looted: sacred ornaments and cash stolen from Chandi mandir in Kurud
Dhamtari, Chhattisgarh, India 
23 June, 2025
Case Summary
In the Dhamtari district of Chhattisgarh, Chandi temple was robbed. The incident occurred in the Kurud police station area. The thief broke the lock on the sanctum sanctorum's channel gate and stole gold and silver ornaments along with cash. The stolen items include a gold Rani Haar (queen's necklace), a gold crown, earrings, bindiya, silver Charan Paduka, and the donation box. Devotees were shocked to find the deity’s adornments missing from the Chandi Temple. It is reported that items worth lakhs of rupees have been stolen. The theft was discovered by the temple priest in the morning. The entire act has been captured on the temple’s CCTV camera. The police arrived at the spot and are investigating based on the footage. So far, thefts have occurred at six temples. Regarding the theft, Kurud SDOP Ragini Tiwari said that they received information about the theft at the Chandi Temple in Kurud. Upon checking the CCTV footage, one thief was seen. A forensic dog squad was deployed for the investigation. The probe into the theft case was ongoing.
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
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