A team of the Delhi Police has arrested two drug addicts who stole a religious idol and several other artifacts from a temple by breaking its lock in Shahdara’s Mansarovar Park area, northeast Delhi, officials said on Saturday.

Deputy Commissioner of Police Prashant Gautam said, “On April 11, we received a PCR call from the complainant, Shyamlal, a resident of Jyoti Colony, Mansarovar Park. He alleged that someone had stolen an idol along with other religious artifacts from the temple.”

Advertisement

Acting on the information, the police team was deployed to apprehend the culprits, he added.

During the investigation, the team reviewed CCTV footage from the area to identify the suspects. With the help of manual verification and inputs from informers, the accused were tracked down and arrested.

The accused were identified as Mohommad Hussain, 22, and Chand Alam, 23, both residents of New Seemapuri. Alam has a history of three previous criminal cases.

During sustained interrogation, the duo confessed to the theft, citing drug addiction as the motive behind their actions.

The police recovered the stolen items from their possession, including the idol, DCP Gautam confirmed.

A case has been registered under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) at the Mansarovar Park police station, police said.