24 held for robbing priests at Bhagwat Dham

24 people, 23 of them women, have been arrested for allegedly assaulting and robbing five priests at Bhagwat Dham in CBD Belapur on Wednesday.

According to the police, the accused barged into the compound of the dham around 5.30am when the priests were busy with their rituals. "When the security guard tried to prevent them, they sprayed some medicine on his face and he lost his consciousness. They then started assaulting the priests," said Vivek Mashal, assistant commissioner of police.

Mashal said that the main accused, Sudhir Das, who has also been arrested, hired the women from Nalasopara for the task. "After assaulting, they snatched the priests' mobile phones and robbed some cash from the dham. All of them have been booked for dacoity, trespassing and criminal intimidation," he said.

"There has been a contradiction of opinion between two groups of trustees of the dham for the past several years. Some trustees, who have been reportedly sidelined, are involved in the incident. A senior trustee of the dham, who planned the entire attack, is now on the run," he added.