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In a shocking incident, unidentified miscreants stole seven silver crowns from the Shri Siddhi Vinayak Ganesh Temple at Ghantaghar crossing on Saturday morning.

Temple authorities lodged a complaint soon after the theft was discovered, and police have launched an investigation, officials said on Sunday.

According to temple caretaker Sudhir Gupta, eight idols of Lord Ganesha are installed on the second floor of the temple, each decorated with a silver crown. However, when he visited the premises on Saturday evening, he found that crowns from seven idols had gone missing. The stolen items are estimated to be worth around Rs.3 lakh.

CCTV footage from the temple shows that at around 9:48 AM, a youth—who had earlier arrived with a woman and a child—entered the premises. While the woman and child waited outside, the man went upstairs alone. Within just two minutes, by 9:50 AM, he allegedly removed the crowns and fled.

The suspect was wearing a helmet, making identification difficult. Police officials from Harbans Mohal station said efforts are underway to trace the accused using CCTV inputs.

Temple authorities believe the theft may have been pre-planned. They pointed out that the temple priest had been on leave for the past two days, suggesting the accused may have been aware of the situation beforehand.

Suspicion has also been raised after the accused was seen briefly speaking to a security guard before leaving the premises. Despite the presence of security personnel, the theft went unnoticed, raising concerns over possible lapses or insider involvement.

Police have intensified their search for the suspect and are also probing the role of security staff as part of the ongoing investigation.