Nearly Tk 50,000 was allegedly stolen from the donation and offering boxes of Sri Sri Siddheswari Kali Temple in Jashore's Barabazar area early today.

Thieves allegedly vandalised the temple's CCTV cameras before carrying out the burglary at the temple on HMM Road in the Barabazar area of the town.

According to the temple committee and local sources, the temple staff had gone to sleep as usual. In the early hours of the morning, a group of unidentified thieves reportedly broke the lock on the gate leading to the rooftop staircase and entered the premises.

The intruders allegedly smashed the temple's CCTV cameras in an apparent attempt to destroy evidence before breaking open two donation boxes and one offering box and fleeing with the cash.

Temple committee members estimated that the two donation boxes contained around Tk 30,000 to Tk 40,000, while the offering box held an additional Tk 5,000 to Tk 10,000.

The theft came to light in the morning when temple authorities discovered the boxes missing. During a search, they found all three empty boxes abandoned on the rooftop.

Temple committee president Shyamal Ghosh filed a written complaint with Jashore Kotwali Model Police Station last night.

Witnesses as well as local residents also confirmed the incident.

Officer-in-Charge Masum Khan of Jashore Kotwali Model Police Station said police launched an investigation to identify those involved and recover the stolen money.