NAUSORI, FIJI, September 19, 2006: Thieves broke into a temple in Koroqaqa, Nausori, on September 16, the third in one week. Earlier this week, thieves broke into the Adi Shakti No Durga Mata Mandir in Nasinu and torched the temple. On Wednesday morning, thieves broke into a temple in Baulevu and got away with $400 and robbers entered the Vishnu Mandir through the window and damaged the burglar bars. Vishnu Mandir president Shiu Prasad called on the government for harsher penalties for thieves who break into areas of worship. “We are very disappointed in the law of this country which doesn’t have harsher penalties for thieves who don’t have respect for worship areas,” said Prasad. Police have warned religious bodies not to keep cash in places of worship following the recent break-ins. Divisional Police Commander Eastern ASP Kesari Lal said that all the money should be kept in a safe place. He said most of these places of worship don’t have a security guard or in some cases the caretakers houses are meters away. Lal said it’s not a group targeting religious temples only as they have cases where churches and mosques have also been broken into. “It’s just like any other break-in where thieves sometimes damage other things which they can’t take with them,” he said. Lal said the Nausori police are investigating the case.
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