In a successful joint operation, Ilia and Shahabganj police of Chandauli district arrested four members of a gang involved in a spate of temple thefts. Acting on a late-night tip-off, police conducted a raid near the Kali Mata Temple in Kalani village on Sunday night, recovering stolen temple items and tools used in the crimes.
According to ASP (Operations) Digambar Kushwaha, the raid took place after Ilia police received intelligence about suspicious activity near the temple. Shahabganj police were alerted to cordon off the area from another direction. Just past midnight, the combined team arrested:
Dheeraj Tiwari (27) – Gang leader
Neeraj Tiwari (29) – His brother
Atul Tiwari (24) – Their cousin
Deepak Kumar alias Deepu (19) – Utensil shop owner and receiver of stolen goods
All arrested individuals hail from the Jamalpur area in Mirzapur district.
394 brass bells of various sizes
4 white metal crowns
2 white metal statue eyes
Hacksaw with 4 blades
Motorcycle used in thefts
Rs1,500 in cash
The Tiwari gang confessed to targeting temples in multiple areas of Chandauli over the past 10 days. They carried out recce for five days before striking, primarily stealing brass bells and silver crowns, later sold to Deepu at Rs470 per kg.
Police also revealed that Dheeraj Tiwari has six prior theft cases. Their network sold temple artifacts to Deepu, who ran a utensil shop in Jamalpur.
During a follow-up raid in Jamalpur, Deepu was arrested along with the stolen goods. Another gang member, Raju Seth, is currently absconding.
Authorities are expanding their investigation to recover more stolen religious items and trace other potential receivers involved in the racket. The accused are being processed for court appearance.
