Two Charged After Minnesota Buddhist and Hindu Temples Hit by National Theft Ring

MINNESOTA, UNITED STATES, SEPTEMBER 25, 2024 (MPR News): In May through July, at least four Hindu and Buddhist temples in the Twin Cities (Minneapolis and St. Paul) were burglarized. Two men have been charged in connection to those burglaries and others in a sprawling case police say connects to a national ring targeting temples. Religious leaders say their communities are “shattered.” Hindu and Buddhist communities in the Twin Cities are reeling after temples and homes of their members were burglarized earlier this year. Religious leaders at Hindu Society of Minnesota in Maple Grove, which is Minnesota’s largest Hindu temple, and Sri Saibaba Mandir in Chaska and Wat Promwachirayan in St. Louis Park confirmed their temples were among those hit. The total loss is estimated to be well over $100,000.

That’s according to Shajive Jeganathan, president of Hindu Society of Minnesota. In the aftermath of the burglaries, he spoke to the affected temples. “Three of them were Hindu temples and nine of them Buddhist temples from various communities – from the Cambodian, Malawi and the Thai and the Hmong communities that at least I’m aware of,” said Jeganathan. Police said at least 16 temples and homes were burglarized but did not provide a comprehensive list of locations or dates, although one police report notes a failed burglary attempt at Thien An Temple in Blaine. The sprawling case has involved at least six law enforcement agencies across multiple jurisdictions that have identified multiple suspects in the burglaries. “In each of the burglaries, the suspects targeted religious temples or individuals believed to be associated with religious temples and predominantly stole religious jewelry and cash,” the warrant read. “Investigators learned the burglaries were part of a larger criminal burglary/theft organization operating throughout the United States,” Carver County Sheriff’s Office Lt. Brian Sloat said.

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https://www.mprnews.org/story/2024/10/15/two-men-charged-burglary-twin-cities-buddhist-hindu-temples