Screengrab of CCTV footage shared by TOI.
Raipur: In a curious case of decade-long robberies of temples in Chhattisgarh, the accused, who is HIV positive, said that he was taking revenge against god. He told police that his infection was an “act of god” and he decided to loot temples. In a decade-long looting spree, he robbed money from temple donation boxes to take revenge against god and “show god his place”, Times of India reported.
According to police, the man contracted HIV while he was imprisoned in a 2012 assault case, and he was jailed for a year for the crime. After he was released, he admitted that he had committed at least 10 cases of theft in temples in Durg town, while police said that he must have done more.
It is learned that police are now gathering available CCTV camera footage for verification.
The latest case against the accused, a 45-year-old, arrested on Thursday, involved breaking the locks of a Jain temple on the outskirts of Durg on 23rd August. He was detained as a suspect, interrogated, and arrested before he was produced in a court and remanded in judicial custody.
According to police, the man told them that he lost faith in god after he became HIV positive. Durg SP officer Ajay Agariwal told Times of India that the accused targeted temples only because he wanted to vent out his anger at god. He has shown signs of mental instability, the officer added.