Nearly Rs 1 lakh was stolen from a gurdwara near the Peori railway crossing in Gidderbaha town after unidentified persons allegedly forced open the gurdwara's door late on Sunday night and damaged a donation box kept inside.

The gurdwara is under the management of a group of Nihangs. They said that a donation box kept by a kar sewa group had also been stolen a couple of days ago.

Baba Santokh Singh said, “We came to know about the theft at around 3 am today. As usual, a sewadar had locked the gurdwara last night. When it was opened this morning, a door was found damaged, and the donation box was lying a few metres away in a damaged condition. It contained nearly Rs 1 lakh. We demand the immediate arrest of the accused. Luckily, there was no attempt at sacrilege.”

Meanwhile, Sub-Inspector Parvinder Singh, SHO of Gidderbaha police station, said, “We have started the investigation and will check the footage from CCTV cameras installed nearby.”