A Muslim woman who tried to steal the bag of a devotee who had come for darshan in the Guruvayur temple was arrested. Haseena (40), a native of Meppadi, Wayanad, was arrested while her husband, Usman, who was with her, escaped. Haseena robbed a woman from Palakkad who had visited the temple.
The robber couple reached the temple town and allegedly used Hindu names to book a room in a lodge near the temple. They introduced themselves as Renuka and Krishnan Nair. The couple has a son who is twelve years old. The police said they came to the temple after locking their son in a room in the lodge.
On Sunday morning, Haseena robbed the money and tried to escape when the victim and her family were praying near the flagpost. This caught the attention of the police officers deployed for security duty, and she was arrested immediately. Police recovered Rs 13,244 and three purses from the accused. Many such robberies go unnoticed and unreported.
Hasina created a scene and collapsed. She was then taken to Thrissur Medical College Hospital, brought to the police station, and arrested on Monday. Police are yet to find Usman. The fate of their son is unknown. Temple CI Premanand Krishnan said that the accused was produced in court.
Identity cards are mandatory for booking rooms in Kerala. Non-Hindus own many such lodges, and devotees should check the integrity of such hotels. Temple towns have become havens for anti-Hindu forces that employ terrorists and Rohingyas from Bangladesh. There are allegations that hotel employees inform such criminals about valuables and cash that devotees bring and make a cut from such robberies.
