Maharashtra Man Poses As Monk To Loot Jain Temples, Bought Gold, Land Before Arrest

Last Updated:February 12, 2026, 21:37 IST

During interrogation, Jeevan Singh told police that he used the stolen money to buy a plot in the Lonikand area and built separate houses for his wife, son and daughter.

Chennai Police arrested a 60-year-old man from pune who disguised himself as a monk and burgled several Jain temples in Tamil Nadu, Telangana and Karnataka. The arrest was made after a year-long search, involving analysis of more than 200 CCTV footages.

The man has been identified as Jeevan Singh. He was arrested by a special police team led by inspector Alagammal and produced before a Pune court, police said.

A transit warrant was obtained, and he was brought to Chennai by train on Wednesday and lodged in Puzhal Central Prison.

The case came to light in February 2025 after a 600-gram gold bar and a 10-kg silver crown were stolen from a Jain temple on Mint Street in Sowcarpet. Following a complaint, Elephant Gate police reviewed CCTV footage and found that a man had covered his face with a cloth and used a torch while carrying out the theft.

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Police teams tracked the suspect’s movements through more than 100 CCTV cameras and traced him to Egmore railway station, where he boarded a train to Nashik while disguised as a preacher. The trail went cold after that as his whereabouts remained unknown, Times of India reported.

A similar robbery was reported at a Jain temple in Kachiguda district in Telangana, three months ago. The police team shared their CCTV footage with the Elephant Gate police, and a comparison confirmed that the same suspect was involved in both incidents.

After an intensive investigation, the police identified the suspect as Jeevan Singh, a resident of Pune, Maharashtra. Further probe revealed that he was involved in a series of temple thefts in Salem, Chengalpet and other parts of Tamil Nadu, as well as in Karnataka and Telangana.

During interrogation, Jeevan Singh told police that he used the stolen money to buy a plot in the Lonikand area and built separate houses for his wife, son and daughter. The stolen gold and silver were allegedly sold to Raj Bahu Rathore, 30, a real estate businessman.

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