Kolkata: A man posing as a monk, Palash Mondal, allegedly stole Rs 2.5 lakh along with a gold ring and a silver spoon from a monk’s room at Baishnab Math in Chetla before fleeing. He was arrested in Agarpara on Saturday. Police suspect he may be behind similar thefts at Dum Dum and Bagbazar monasteries.
Mondal allegedly stayed at monasteries while posing as a devotee, observed their cash boxes and later broke them open. Police said he had reportedly stolen Rs 6 lakh from a Dum Dum monastery and over Rs 1 lakh from one in Bagbazar.
Cops learnt that Mondal, who was released from jail about five months ago after serving a sentence in a drug trafficking case, had fled to Puri after the Chetla theft and allegedly planned on targeting monasteries there.