Canadian police look out for suspect who broke into three Hindu temples

The police in Canada's Durham region in Ontario province are looking for a suspect who broke into three Hindu temples and stole a large amount of cash from the donation boxes.

Durham Police Department said in a statement on Wednesday (October 11) that a 5’9” male, weighing nearly 91 kg and walking with a limp, on Sunday (October 8) broke into a temple in the area of Bayly Street and Krosno Boulevard in Pickering. He was seen wearing a blue surgical mask, a black poofy jacket with a tightly zipped hood, green ‘camo’ cargo pants, and green running shoes.

A man at 12:45 a.m. was seen on security surveillance making entry into the temple and taking a large quantity of cash from the donation boxes. He fled the area prior to police arrival, the statement said.

A short time later, at approximately 1:30 a.m., members of West Division responded to reports of a break-and-enter in progress at a temple in the area of Brock Road and Dersan Street in Pickering. A resident of the temple reported that a man had broken through a window and attempted to steal a safe that contained donated cash.

The man was unsuccessful and fled prior to police arrival, the statement said, adding that surveillance footage confirmed the man to be the same suspect who had committed the earlier break-and-enter.

Later that morning, at approximately 2:50 a.m., the same man broke into another temple in the area of Westney Road South and Bayly Street West in Ajax and stole a large quantity of cash from a donation box.

The police have requested anyone with information on the suspect to contact them. The police have also announced a cash reward of 2,000 Canadian dollars for tipsters.

(With agency inputs)