PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, March 18, 2011: Police stepped up their search Thursday for four masked robbers who bound and gagged a security guard at a Hindu temple and then made off with three safes containing $10,000 to $15,000 in cash and jewelry.
‘We’re all shaken by what has happened here,’ said Dr. Nagu B. Krishnappa, chair of the temple’s board of trustees. ‘But we’re all going to move forward from this.’ A prayer period that Hindus observe in the days leading to the next full moon went on as usual in Sri Venkateswara Temple on yesterday afternoon, just hours after the heist.
Police are looking into the backgrounds of people who may be familiar with the temple and its layout, including current and former employees. ‘This is a little more than a crime of luck and opportunity,’ Penn Hills police Chief Howard Burton said. ‘It’s obviously someone who has some kind of working knowledge of the place.’
Located on South McCully Drive, Sri Venkateswara Temple was one of the first traditional Hindu temples built in the United States when it opened in 1976, according to temple officials. The temple’s board recently authorized buying a security system that was to be installed this year, Krishnappa said.