A monk has been booked for allegedly breaking open a donation box at a Buddha Vihar (Buddhist temple) in Maharashtra's Thane city and stealing nearly Rs 60,000, police said on Thursday, reported PTI.
The incident took place in the Kalwa area on July 27, an official said.
The accused has been identified as Bikku Shinde, a resident of Nanded, the official said.
According to the police, Shinde had visited the Buddhist temple during the afternoon and allegedly broke open the "hundi" (donation box) and stole cash from it, reported PTI.
"The accused allegedly fled with approximately Rs 60,000. The theft came to light when the person managing the Buddha Vihar noticed that the cash box had been tampered with and the money was missing," the official said.
A complaint was subsequently lodged with the Kalwa police, following which a first information report was registered under Section 305 (theft) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the official said, reported PTI.
Police have launched an investigation to trace the accused and recover the stolen cash, he said.
Couple booked for duping man of Rs 34 lakh on pretext of selling crusher machine
In a separate incident, the police registered a case against a couple for allegedly cheating a businessman from Mira Road in Maharashtra's Thane district of Rs 34 lakh under the pretext of selling him a stone crusher machine, an official said on Wednesday.
Based on a complaint filed by the 46-year-old victim, a case was registered at Nayanagar police station on July 27 against Bashasab Neeli and his wife Reshma on charges of cheating and joint criminal liability.
According to the FIR, the victim came across a social media advertisement in January 2025, saying a crusher machine was on sale. Wanting to set up a business in Palghar, Shaikh contacted Neeli, who quoted the machine's price as Rs 1.15 crore.
Between January and May last year, Shaikh transferred a total of Rs 43 lakh through multiple online transactions into various bank accounts provided by the accused. The accused also sent him a fake agreement and photos showing the machine loaded onto a transport vehicle.
However, after receiving the money, the couple stopped answering Shaikh's calls and failed to deliver the machinery or provide valid ownership documents.
When the victim pursued the matter with the firm that had put up the ad, it refunded Rs 5 lakh directly to his account, while Neeli returned Rs 4 lakh, leaving a total defrauded amount of Rs 34 lakh. Shaikh later visited the firm's office in Chennai, where officials informed him that the remaining balance of Rs 15 lakh had already been transferred back to Reshma Neeli's account, the police said.
A probe into the matter was underway, they said.
(With inputs from PTI)
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