Thane, March 9 Unidentified individuals allegedly broke into a temple in Thane district, Maharashtra, and made off with a donation box containing approximately Rs 10,000, police said on Monday.
The incident occurred at the Kasarhat Vaishya Mandir of Sri Bal Mitra Ganesh Mandal in the Kalyan area in the early hours of Saturday, an official from the Bazarpeth police station said.
The accused forcibly entered the temple premises and stole the steel 'hundi' (donation box), containing about Rs 10,000 in cash offered by devotees, which was kept in front of the deity, the official said.
Police suspect that the accused gained access to the premises during the night and fled with the donation box before the temple reopened on Saturday morning.
The police are examining CCTV footage of the temple premises and nearby areas to identify the culprits.
Based on a complaint, the Bazarpeth police registered an FIR on Sunday against unidentified persons under sections 331(4) (house trespass) and 305 (theft) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), they added.