HIV Positive Man Robs Chhattisgarh Temples, Calls It 'Revenge Against God'

For nearly a decade, temples in and around Chhattisgarh's Durg quietly lost money from their donation boxes. Locks were broken, cash stolen, and the thief vanished without a trace. On Thursday, police finally arrested the man behind the series of thefts, a 45-year-old who calls his crimes an “act of revenge against god".

The accused, who is HIV-positive, told police he lost faith in religion after contracting the virus during a jail term in 2012, when he was serving time in an assault case. Calling his infection an “act of god,” he admitted that he decided to target temples to “show god his place.”

Police said the man has confessed to at least 10 thefts from temples across Durg and its outskirts, though he is suspected of being involved in more. His pattern was consistent: he stole only cash from donation boxes, leaving jewellery untouched. “He would change clothes before and after each theft to avoid being recognised in CCTV footage, and always parked his Jupiter scooter far from the crime scene,” investigators said.

The latest theft took place on the intervening night of August 23 and 24, when the accused broke into a Jain temple on the outskirts of Durg. He was arrested the following day after being picked up for interrogation. Stolen coins worth Rs 1,282 and his scooter were recovered.

Senior Superintendent of Police Durg, Vijay Agarwal, ordered a probe after the Jain temple theft. A joint team of the Anti-Crime and Cyber Unit (ACCU) and Nevai police station scanned CCTV footage in the area and used the 'Trinayan' app to track his movements. Informers were also deployed.

The man was eventually traced to his home after cameras captured his route. Despite multiple clothing changes and use of narrow lanes to evade cameras, investigators managed to piece together his movements. He was then surrounded, caught, and confessed during questioning.

According to police, the accused began targeting temples soon after his release from prison in 2012. He would first conduct a recce of the temple, return the next day on his scooter, park at a distance, change clothes, and then break in. After the theft, he would escape through back lanes, change clothes again, and head home.

So far, he has confessed to thefts in at least 10 temples, including those under Nevai, Supela, Padmanabhpur, Bhilai Bhatti, and Bhilai Nagar police limits. Officials believe the actual number may be higher.

Durg City SP Satyaprakash Tiwari said the man believed his life had been ruined unfairly. “He thought he contracted HIV because of an infected bed in jail. He felt he had done nothing wrong but still became HIV-positive. Because of this anger, he would say that since offerings are given to god in temples, he would only use that money to live. This was his justification for repeatedly targeting temples,” the CSP said.

The accused has now been remanded to 14-day judicial custody.