`I`ve suffered a lot after theft`: MP thief returns valuables stolen from temple

The unidentified thief had stolen 10 decorative pieces of silver, including `chhatras` (an umbrella-shaped decoration piece), and three brass items from the Shantinath Digambar Jain Temple in Balaghat.

Balaghat: A thief returned silver and brass items stolen from a temple in Madhya Pradesh's Balaghat district along with an apology letter saying his act caused him sufferings, police said on Sunday. The unidentified thief had stolen 10 decorative pieces of silver, including 'chhatras' (an umbrella-shaped decoration piece), and three brass items from the Shantinath Digambar Jain Temple under Lamta police station limits on October 24, Additional Superintendent of Police Vijay Dabar said. Since then, the police were searching for the culprit, he said.

On Friday, members of a Jain family spotted a bag lying in a pit near the panchayat office in Lamta following which they alerted police and the community members, the official said.

The stolen goods were recovered from the bag along with an apology letter from the thief, he said.

The letter, a photo of which surfaced on social media platforms, stated, "I am seeking an apology for my act. I made a mistake, forgive me. I have suffered a lot after the theft."

Dabar said the police have seized the stolen items and efforts are on to arrest the thief.