Thief returns loot from Jain temple in Madhya Pradesh

Bhopal: A thief who stole valuable items from a Jain temple in Madhya Pradesh's Balaghat returned the loot after having a change of heart. He left a note with the returned loot stating he suffered a lot after the theft, NDTV reported.

It was on October 24 the thief looted the temple in the Lamta area of Balaghat town. The temple authorities had noticed that several items from the temple had gone missing, and they informed the police. Police registered a case against unknown persons and started an investigation, and initiated regular patrolling.

But four days later, with no arrests made, locals found the loot in a bag lying in a pit near the temple. The apology note inside the bag said, "I suffered a lot after committing the crime, and that is why I am returning these items. I apologise for stealing these items," NDTV quoted.

However, the exact reason for the thief's change is not clear.

Police said that nine chhatras and four bhamandals (one made of silver and the other of brass) were the loot. A Jain family found the bag in the pit while using a tap nearby. They opened it, found the loot and informed the temple authorities.

The items were formally handed over to the temple authorities, and locals were happy that the items were returned. NDTV quoted one of them, "We are extremely happy. And there was an apology note too. This shows the God is with us, and miracles do happen."