Thief caught sleeping inside temple he robbed, arrested by police in Jharkhand

A man, who allegedly broke into a temple at night with the intention of stealing valuables, was caught red-handed by the police and priests in Jharkhand on Tuesday after he accidentally fell asleep inside the premises.

After receiving information from the local residents in the morning, police arrived at the scene, woke the thief and took him into custody along with the stolen items.

The incident took place at Kali temple in the marketplace area of West Singhbhum, when the accused, identified as Veer Nayak, allegedly broke the lock on the temple's back door and entered the premises with the intent to steal.

According to police, Nayak collected several valuables from the sanctum, including gold and silver ornaments and the deity's crown. However, instead of escaping with the stolen items, the suspect reportedly fell into a deep sleep inside the temple.

The priest was the first to spot the man and was shocked to find him asleep near the idol, with the stolen items lying close by. The priest immediately alerted the locals and called Badajamda police station.

Station in-charge Baleshwar Oraon confirmed the arrest and said an investigation is ongoing. During questioning, the accused admitted to the attempted theft but claimed he did not know when he had fallen asleep.

Locals and temple devotees have described the incident as divine intervention, believing that the Goddess Kali herself put the intruder to sleep as a form of punishment. “This is not ordinary,” said the priest. “It is the Goddess’s way of teaching a lesson.”

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With inputs from Jay Kumar Tanty