Durham Police are searching for a suspect after three religious temples were broken into.
On Sunday, October 8 at about 12:45 am, members of West Division responded to reports of a break-and-enter in progress at a religious temple in the area of Bayly Street and Krosno Boulevard in Pickering.
A male was seen on security surveillance making entry into the temple and taking a large quantity of cash from the donation boxes. The male fled the area prior to police arrival, said a police statement.
A short time later, at approximately 1:30 am, members of West Division responded to reports of a break-and-enter in progress at a religious temple in the area of Brock Road and Dersan Street in Pickering. A resident of the temple reported that a male had broken through a window and attempted to steal a safe which contained donated cash. The male was unsuccessful and fled prior to police arrival. Surveillance footage was reviewed and the male was confirmed to be the same suspect who had committed the earlier break-and-enter, police said.
Later that morning, at approximately 2:50 am, the same male broke into a religious temple in the area of Westney Road South and Bayly Street West in Ajax. The male stole a large quantity of cash from a donation box.
The male is described as: 5’9”, approximately 200 lbs. He was seen wearing a blue surgical mask, black poofy jacket with tightly zipped hood, green ‘camo’ cargo pants, and green running shoes. The male was observed walking with a limp.
Anyone with information about these incidents is asked to contact D/Cst. Aselton of the West Division Property Crimes Unit at 1-888-579-1520 ext. 2535.