More than 10 days after a group of eight men broke into the Vajreshwari temple in Bhiwandi taluka and stole Rs 7 lakh from the donation box, the Thane Rural Crime Branch arrested five of them and recovered a part of the booty and two bikes that were used for the crime.

According to the police, in the wee hours of May 10, the dacoits carrying swords and knives entered the temple from the backside. When the night security guard tried to stop them, they tied his hands and legs with ropes and even taped his mouth so that he couldn't make any noise. Then they broke open the door and donation box with the help of screwdrivers and fled with the cash. The next morning devotees visiting the temple alerted the Ganeshpuri police. Following a complaint filed by a local Kathod Laxman Kode, the Ganeshpuri cops registered a case under section 395 of IPC and started the investigation along with the local Crime Branch. Requesting anonymity, a police officer said, "The temple's CCTV footage shows eight masked people entering the premises from the backside. It also reveals that the accused reached the temple in bikes and cars, and fled in them after committing the theft."