Authorities say a San Jose couple turned a Fremont house of worship into a target, slipping five gold ornaments off statues at a Hindu temple and then trying to flip the loot at a San Jose market for quick cash. The ornaments, taken from inside Vedic Dharma Samaj in Fremont, were pegged at roughly $18,000 in value, and court records say both suspects later admitted to the theft. Police arrested the man earlier this month and reported recovering one of the missing pieces from the car the two had been using.
Police say temple ornaments were pulled from statues
Court charging documents allege that five gold ornaments were removed from statues inside Vedic Dharma Samaj in Fremont, with officers estimating the loss at about $18,000, as reported by the East Bay Times. Prosecutors say the man, described in filings as a 30-year-old San Jose resident, is facing burglary charges, while his 25-year-old girlfriend has been charged as an accessory. According to those documents, the woman told investigators she did not realize the pair was going to burglarize the temple.
Botched sale at San Jose market helped crack the case
According to court records, the couple took the ornaments to a market in San Jose and tried to sell them, only to have several vendors tell them the jewelry looked "fake" and refuse to buy. The documents say the suspects then discarded the ornaments after being told they were not genuine, a move that investigators later used to connect the dots and link the theft to the two suspects.
Arrest outside liquor store and what police say they found
Investigators say they tracked the man to a Mountain View liquor store and arrested him there on Jan. 14. Officers later searched a BMW associated with the pair and reported finding a necklace that matched the missing temple ornaments. According to the East Bay Times, the man is being held at Santa Rita Jail in Dublin on $110,000 bail, while his girlfriend was released after a Jan. 16 court appearance. Charging papers state that both suspects confessed during interviews with detectives.
Felony charges and a prior robbery on the record
The man is facing felony burglary counts that could carry state prison time if he is convicted, with the exact potential sentence depending on how prosecutors ultimately file the case. Court records show he has a 2021 robbery conviction out of Alameda County, a prior that could play into how a judge approaches both bail and any eventual sentencing. The case is pending in Santa Clara County Superior Court as prosecutors and defense attorneys prepare for upcoming hearings.
Temple thefts seen as part of larger pattern
The incident comes against the backdrop of recurring thefts and break-ins at religious sites across the region. In a March 2024 news release, the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office outlined a separate series of burglaries that hit churches and temples across the South Bay, highlighting how houses of worship can be targeted for donations and other valuables.
The Fremont case remains under investigation. Future court filings are expected to lay out upcoming hearing dates and any additional charges as prosecutors continue their review of the evidence.
