Burglary incidents of temples in Canada raises alarm

Six Hindu temples in Greater Toronto Area (5 in Peel region and 1 in Hamilton) of Canada have been burgled over the last 2-3 months in has raised alarms in the community.

In most of the cases, the intruders have stolen the cash from donation boxes. In some cases, some ornaments adorning the idols were stolen. The incidents have caused concern among the Hindu community in Canada.

“The Indian Consulate in Toronto spoke to some trustees of these temples and assured them of our support to raise with Canadian authorities in bringing the culprits to book,” a source said.


These incidents started in November last year when the first break-ins happened at Hindu Sabha temple and Shri Jagannath temple, both in Brampton.

Similar break-in attempts were made in January 2022 in other temples including Hindu Heritage Centre, Mississauga, Maa Chintpurni Mandir, Brampton, Gauri Shankar Mandir, Brampton and Hamilton Samaj Temple, Hamilton

The local Police have taken cognizance of the incidents and started investigations. The Police have contacted the temple authorities and assured them of increased security and Police patrols in their areas.

“Although these incidents of break-ins and theft are a matter of concern for the Hindu community in Canada, they do not seem to be organized attacks against Hindus and their properties. At this stage, these incidents seem to be petty attempts to steal money from temples,” a source explained.