Indo-Canadian charged in connection with Hindu temple break-ins

Toronto, Dec 29: A 41-year-old Indian-origin man has been arrested in connection with multiple robberies at Hindu temples in the Canadian province of Ontario in recent months, police said.

Jagdish Pandher from Brampton is facing charges for numerous offences and is currently being held for a bail hearing, the Durham Regional Police said on Thursday.

Investigators have linked Pandher to numerous break-and-enters at Hindu temples throughout the year, most of which occurred in Durham Region and around the Greater Toronto Area.

In a media release, police said that on October 8 at approximately 12:45 am its officers responded to reports of a break-and-enter in progress at a Hindu temple in the area of Bayly Street and Krosno Boulevard in Pickering.

A male was seen on security surveillance breaking into the temple and taking a large quantity of cash from the donation boxes, the release said, adding that he fled the area prior to police arrival.

He was seen on surveillance footage later that morning committing additional break-and-enters at Hindu temples in Pickering and Ajax.

"Although these offences occurred at places of worship, they do not appear to be hate crimes or motivated by hate," Durham Regional Police said.

At least six Hindu temples were reportedly robbed in the month of September and October alone, mostly in the Greater Toronto Area, which included the Chintpurni Temple in Brampton, Rameshwar Mandir in Caledon and the Hindu Heritage Centre in Mississauga.

According to local media reports, last year, close to half-a-dozen Hindu temples in the Greater Toronto Area were reportedly robbed in a span of ten days.

The Peel police in Toronto arrested three Canada-based Punjabi men in 2022 responsible for vandalism and theft in Hindu temples in the Greater Toronto Area from November 2021 until March 2022.

Pandher was one of the three accused, which also included Gursharnjeet Dhindsa and Parminder Gill from Brampton.

They were slapped with as many as 78 charges including Disguise with intent (13 counts each) and Break, enter and commit an indictable offence (13 counts each), according to media reports.