Santa Clara Hindu Temple Burglarized

A break-in at a local Hindu temple has police searching for a pair of thieves who made off with more than $10,000 in cash and valuables.

Just before 4 a.m. Aug. 28, two culprits smashed the front door of Shiv Durga Temple of Bay Area, 3550 Flora Vista Ave. in Santa Clara. After forcibly gaining entry, the culprits looted money from the donation boxes.

Vishal Arora, with the temple, said the ADT alarm was sounding and that video surveillance footage showed the thieves were in and out within two minutes. He said the culprits appeared to be a man and a woman. The man, he said, stayed outside while the woman entered the store and walked off with the donation box.

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Lt. Eric Lagergren, public information officer for the Santa Clara Police Department (SCPD), wrote in an email that following the theft, the thieves drove off in a Honda Accord. Lagergren wrote that police do not yet know whether the car fits the description of any cars reported stolen.

The break-in is the second time the temple has been burglarized in the past two years. In late December 2023, another group of thieves broke into the temple, stealing $13,000 in cash and other items valued at $3,000.

Although slightly different in its execution, the incident shares a commonality with other local crimes — a slew of Sunnyvale jewelry store robberies and robbery attempts, mostly along El Camino Real, starting in April. Those stores that were targeted are largely Indian-owned, mostly because of the highly valuable jewelry the stores sell.

Despite the similarity and the previous burglary, Lagergren wrote that the burglary “does not appear to be a situation that has occurred with any great frequency in Santa Clara.” The investigation is ongoing.

Police encourage religious institutions to secure their valuables and do whatever they can to protect themselves. For better insight into how to do this, the SCPD webpage provides a substantial list of Tips and Resources on the Department website to assist.

Anyone with information about this incident should call SCPD at (408) 615-4700. Alternatively, those who wish to remain nameless can leave a message on the SCPD anonymous tip line at (408) 615-4TIP (4847).

Contact David Alexander at d.todd.alexander@gmail.com