Two unidentified thieves broke into the Radha Krishna Temple on Pandwala Road in Mubarikpur during the intervening night of Tuesday and Wednesday and stole silver and brass idols, religious articles and the donation box.

Temple priest Balram Sharma, 43, discovered the theft around 4.30am on Wednesday when he arrived to open the temple for morning prayers. Sharma, who has served at the temple for 17 years, told police that he had locked the premises around 8.30pm on Tuesday and checked the locks again at 9.30pm before leaving.

When he returned on Wednesday morning, he found the main entrance open and the temple ransacked. CCTV footage showed two unidentified men entering the premises between midnight and 1.30am, according to the complaint.

The stolen items include two silver crowns of Lord Krishna Gopal (Lord Krishna’s childhood form), two silver cow idols, two Gopal Ji swaroops, a silver flute, two silver glasses, a silver aarti lamp, silver worship utensils and a silver offering platter. The thieves also took two temple bells, the donation box, a copper kalash, two brass glasses, brass idols of Lord Ganesha, Kuber and Garuda, a brass Ram Darbar set and a silver idol of Lord Ganesha.

Assistant sub-inspector (ASI) Surinder Singh of the Mubarikpur police post visited the temple and began an investigation. Dera Bassi police registered an FIR against two unidentified persons under Sections 298, 299, 331(4) and 305(d) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.