Four sent to prison in Lyari temple goods’ theft case

Police on Thursday recovered idols, a mace and prayer paraphernalia stolen from a temple in the city’s Lyari neighbourhood last month, and apprehended four men over their alleged involvement in the theft and illegal purchase of these articles.

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Investigation-II (South) Asif Ahmed Bughio said eight idols, a mace and articles used for praying had been stolen from the Shri Ramdev Pir temple near the Slaughter House in Lyari last month.

A first information report (FIR) was registered on the complaint of the temple’s pundit (priest), Ramesh, at the Baghdadi police station under Sections 380 (theft in dwelling house, etc), 457 (lurking house-trespass or house-breaking by night in order to commit offence punishable with imprisonment), and 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC).

SSP Bughio said the Baghdadi police initially arrested a suspect, identified as Farooq alias Doctor, on receiving intelligence information. His subsequent interrogation led to the arrests of his accomplice Shiraz and two buyers of the stolen property, Siafudeen and Zakaria. The stolen articles were recovered from their possession.

Section 411 (Dishonestly receiving stolen property) of the PPC has been incorporated in the case. The investigating officer, Shahid Farooq, later produced the detained suspects before Judicial Magistrate-XXV Kamran Ali Kalhoro and informed him that the four had been arrested for allegedly stealing idols and other valuables from the temple. He didn’t request their physical remand, saying the stolen property had already been recovered from their possession.

The magistrate, therefore, sent the accused to a prison and directed the IO to submit a charge sheet by the next date of hearing slated for Aug 25.

According to the content of the FIR, complainant Ramesh said he locked the temple after worship and left for home at around 10:30pm on July 27. When he returned the following morning, he found at least eight brass idols, a mace of Hanuman and other prayer paraphernalia missing.