Priest, couple arrested for theft of ₹1.14 crore worth of silver ornaments from the Ahmedabad Jain Derasar

In a major temple theft case, the Paldi police in Ahmedabad have registered an FIR against a priest and a couple employed as cleaners for allegedly stealing silver ornaments and decorative items worth over ₹1.14 crore from the revered Shitalnath–Vasupujya Jain Derasar in Shantivan, Paldi.

According to the complaint filed by Rajesh Champaklal Shah (54), a businessman and district secretary of Shri Lakshmivardhak Jain Sangh, the theft is believed to have occurred between July 27, 2023, and October 8, 2025. Shah stated that during a routine check of the temple premises, it was discovered that several valuable silver artefacts and idols’ ornaments kept in the basement locker were missing.

The stolen items include silver crowns, kundals, pendants, and wall decorations weighing a total of 117 kilograms (approximately 335 grams) of silver, valued at ₹1.14 crore. The missing pieces included silver “Angis” (idol garments) and crowns belonging to Lord Shitalnath and Lord Vasupujya, along with intricately crafted silver wall embellishments from the sanctum sanctorum.

The accused, identified as Mehul Harisingh Rathod, the temple priest, and Kiran Vadhari and his wife, Hetal aka Puriben, who worked as cleaners, have been arrested in connection with the matter. Hetal has been arrested by the Paldi police, while the other two main accused have been arrested by the Crime Branch. According to the Police, the trio allegedly used duplicate keys to access the basement locker containing the temple’s valuables.

“On October 4, the CCTV footage showed that the priest, Mehul Rathod, switched off the main power supply to the cameras at around 2:45 pm and turned it back on around 5:30 pm. Subsequently, on October 9, he left the city early in the morning and has not returned since,” said the police 

Following this discovery, temple trustees and members of the Jain Sangh inspected the premises and confirmed that the ornaments were missing. They also found that the cleaner couple, who lived in a trust-owned flat behind the temple, were absent and had recently purchased a four-wheeler despite earning a modest joint salary.

The complainant alleged that Rathod and the couple conspired to steal the silver items from the locker and the sanctum sanctorum, which had been relocated to the basement during renovation work.

Police have registered a case of criminal breach of trust and theft under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and initiated an investigation.