ANOTHER act of sacrilege in less than a week, this time at the Shri Sanatan Daram Prakash Ramayan Mandir (Vishnu Temple) in Nadera, Nasinu.
The temple was broken into during heavy rainfall on Thursday, with the intruders making off with about $1500 in offerings, according to temple vice president Rohit Dayal.
The break-in is the third such reported incident at the temple.
Mr Dayal said thieves did not enter through the front doors, which had been reinforced after previous incidents, but instead forced their way in through the side of the roof by tearing down plywood and climbing inside.
“They stole all our money, a collection on our puja table amounting to almost $1500,” Mr Dayal said.
“This is money we collect and present as offerings, and money we collect for the upkeep of the temple.”
Mr Dayal said police were called after previous break-ins, including one on June 4 during which fingerprints were reportedly taken.
However, he said there had been no update from authorities on any of the incidents.
He estimates the cost of damage from the most recent break-in at around $2000, in addition to $3500 spent on repairs after the last incident.
The temple, which has a congregation of about 30 regular attendees, holds prayer sessions every Tuesday evening.
“We are ready to cooperate, but we want the stakeholders to do their job thoroughly. The police must do something about this.”
A dedicated Southern Division Taskforce is assisting Valelevu Police in investigating a reported break-in at the Shri Santan Daram Mandir in Nadera, said Fiji Police Force.
“We are committed to establishing the facts,” Commissioner of Police Rusiate Tudravu said.
“The report lodged with the police indicates no items were stolen, yet media claims suggest otherwise. This must be clarified to prevent misinformation from fueling division.”
The investigation has seen the deployment of K9 officers and house-to-house inquiries to gather evidence and identify the perpetrator.
Tudravu condemned the attack, describing it as a “cowardly act” against a place of worship.
