A man allegedly stole gold necklaces worth Rs. 78 lakh and 2 gold-plated items from an ancient temple of goddess Mahakali located atop Pavagadh hills in Gujrat’s Panchmahal district on October 28.

The accused Vidhurbhai Vasava was arrested from Surat a week after the theft, reported by the police.

SP Himanshu Solanki said that the local crime branch solved the theft case using human resources and technical surveillance, a rigorous process of scanning footage from nearly 150 CCTV cameras in and around the temple.  

While reviewing the footage, the officials noticed a suspicious man on a motorcycle near the temple the day before the crime was committed. After further investigation, the police recognized his identity as Vidurbhai Vasava, a resident of Umarpada in Surat.

Soon after a police team reached the accused’s house around 200km away and caught him. While being questioned he admitted to the theft, said the police officials. 

The stolen articles were recovered from his possession after his arrest, said police officials. 

"The accused used his own motorcycle to visit Pavagadh to commit the crime. He used a hall with ventilation on top of the temple to enter the garbhagriha (sanctum sanctorum)," the LCB said in a press statement.