Thieves in Sasawira, Naulu, broke into Vishnu Bhawan temple on Tuesday night, ransacking its inner sanctums in what an official says was a daring attempt to find money.

Sri Sanatan Dharam Yuvak Rama­yana Mandli (temple committee) president Vinod Kumar said that after previous break-ins they no longer kept money inside the tem­ple.

“There’s only one temple in this street and I think they came here looking for some easy cash,” Mr Kumar said.

“This is a place of prayer, and like any place of prayer – whether a church, mosque or temple – this should not happen.”

He does not think the robbery was racially-motivated.

He said this was the third time thieves had broken into the place of worship.

The attack comes nearly a month after a temple in Votualevu, Nadi was desecrating in a suspected ra­cially-motivated attack.

Saula Talili, a baker by profession, who lives beside the temple, called the Police when he noticed unusual activity just after midnight.

“I was baking at home when I saw the lights at the temple were switched off – which the officials never do,” Mr Talili said.

“When I went in to take a closer look, I saw four men dressed in black and one of them was holding a weapon.”

Mr Talili said robberies were not very common in the area and thinks the group might have been looking to make some money.

The temple does not have a secu­rity guard and Mr Kumar said they only congregate on Tuesdays for prayers.

Signs of a break-in were clear yes­terday when the Fiji Sun visited, with religious books and other ma­terials scattered inside the temple.

The now-repaired fencing was cut open on the temple’s right side, through which the thieves were seen entering the compound.

The sliding window leading into the temple was damaged and forced open. Footprints were clearly vis­ible on the rugs inside.

Police spokesperson Ana Naisoro confirmed that a report had been lodged.

Ms Naisoro said: “Four men broke into the temple and it looked as if they were searching for money and left the scene. So far nothing has been reported stolen.”

Police continue to investigate the incident.

Edited by Mohammed Zulfikar

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