Technology – is it good or bad? New inventions or apps are always met with the same question. It really isn’t about what technology can do or how advanced it is though. But rather, what we choose to do with it. Google Maps, for instance, can be used to find the way, stumble upon an adventure or even for a crime.
This gang used it to rob temples in Karnataka
5 people who weren’t professional thieves formed a gang in September last year. Their motive was to steal valuables from less crowded temples located in far off areas. And what better way to gather information about such places than Google Maps? They managed to rob nine temples in Chamarajanagar and two in Mysuru district.
Chamarajanagar superintendent of police Dharmender Kumar Meena told The Times of India that,
“Besides temple coordinates, they would collect demographic features of the area. It was a risk-free enterprise for them.”
The police also used online navigation to track down the gang
When the police were investigating several temple robberies, they noticed that all of them had a similar theme. All were located in remote places and had a low influx of devotees. Puja items and sandalwood logs were among the things stolen, worth INR 2.9 lacs in total.
A special investigation team was set up to foil their plans. All 5 of them have now been arrested. Their stolen goods have also been recovered.