According to the Mumbai Police, the theft took place between 8.30 pm on May 13 and 6 am on May 14 at the Laxmi Narayan Temple on M.G. Road in Kandivali West

The action was launched after Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Mumbai General Secretary Vinod Shelar received complaints alleging that sand had been illegally excavated from the beach and transported in trucks and mini trucks for nearly two-and-a-half months