SGPC cashier turns out to be ‘golak thief’ in Tarn Taran

AMRITSAR:The Tarn Taran police on Thursday claimed to have arrested a cashier of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) for allegedly stealing ₹1.86 lakh from the ‘golak’ (money box) of Gurdwara Shaheed Baba Tara Singh Wan, falling in Khalra town; 30 km from Tarn Taran. The accused Kuldeep Singh is a resident of Sara-E-Valtoha village.

Addressing a press conference at his office in Bhikhiwind, deputy superintendent of police (DSP) Sulakhan Singh Mann said on February 9, gurdwara manager Paramjit Singh lodged a complaint to the Khalra police that during the intervening night of February 8 and 9, some unidentified thieves decamped after stealing ₹1.86 lakh from the money box, a .12 bore double barrel gun from a cupboard, and a digital video recorder (DVR) of closed circuit television (CCTV) from the gurdwara.

He said on the complaint of the manager, a case under section 457 (lurking house-trespass or housebreaking by night in order to commit offence punishable with imprisonment) and 380 (theft in dwelling house, etc) of the Indian Penal Code was registered against unidentified thieves.

The DSP said, during investigation, they suspected that despite many sewadars (workmen), how could thieves commit the crime?

He said during the probe, they also interrogated the gurdwara’s cashier, Kuldeep Singh, on suspicion basis, who is also the SGPC employee.

During the interrogation, Kuldeep confessed and said he used to take drugs, so to purchase them, he became a burglar and stole money from the shrine’s ‘golak’ and other things like a gun and DVR from the gurdwara. The DSP said the gun and the DVR have been recovered.

POLICE SAY ACCUSED KULDEEP USED TO TAKE DRUGS AND FOR PURCHASING THEM, HE STOLE MONEY FROM THE ‘GOLAK’ OF GURDWARA