Four of Satkhira temple arrested over gold crown theft

Four people related to Jeshoreshwari Kali Temple in Satkhira's Shyamnagar upazila were arrested today (12 October) in connection with the theft of a gold crown from the temple.

The arrests followed a case against unidentified individuals filed by the temple's caretaker, Jyoti Prakash Chattopadhyay, at Shyamnagar police station. The arrested individuals were identified as Rekha Sarkar, Apurba Kumar Saha, Sanjay Biswas, and Parul Biswas.

The crown, a gift from Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his 2021 visit to Bangladesh, was stolen by an unidentified individual on Thursday.

CCTV footage captured the suspect loitering around the temple premises before entering the Goddess Kali's room at 2:49pm, taking the crown, and leaving calmly. Despite launching an investigation, the police have yet to identify or apprehend the suspect.

Confirming the arrests, Satkhira Superintendent of Police (SP) Mohammad Monirul Islam said that the District Detective Branch is leading the investigation.

Earlier, SP Monirul in a Facebook post on the Satkhira District Police announced a reward for anyone providing information that leads to the arrest of the thief.

Satkhira police urged the public to assist in recovering the stolen gold crown, promising a special reward to anyone who helps find the thief. However, the post did not mention what the reward would be.

The Indian High Commission in Bangladesh has expressed concern over the incident and urged local authorities to expedite the investigation, recover the crown, and ensure that those responsible are brought to justice.