Thieves are becoming more daring and disrespectful of religion, said Akhil Mollick the CNMI Hindu Community assistant secretary.
He said the thieves broke the two locks at the back door of their temple on Franciso St. near the Sister Remedios Early Childhood Development Center.
Upon entering, Mollick said the suspects also broke the lock of the office and the donation box in the worship room.
The box, containing at least $2,000, has not been opened for three years, he said, adding they planned to use it to build another temple.
A gas cylinder worth $240 was also taken by the burglars, he added.
Mollick said it was church member Tarun K. Mondal who discovered the broken door when he visited the temple at 10:30 a.m. yesterday.
Mondal was supposed to clean the temple.
Mollick said they immediately reported the theft to the Department of Public Safety.
“We feel so bad. Our members are very sad. It’s hard to find money these days on island,” he added.
The Hindu Community is hoping that DPS will find out who the thieves are and recover the money and the gas cylinder, he said.
He said they are still conducting an inventory at the temple to find out if any other valuable item was stolen.
Call Mollick at 287-4711 if you have any information regarding the break-in.
