Six accused in $20,000 jewelry theft from south Forsyth Hindu temple
Six people are accused of taking about $20,000 in jewelry from a south Forsyth Hindu temple, reviving fears about safety inside sacred spaces.
Six suspects are accused of making off with about $20,000 in jewelry from a Hindu temple in south Forsyth County, a loss that hits harder than a simple property crime. In a place of worship, jewelry can carry ceremonial value, donated value and financial value all at once, so the theft lands as both a dollar loss and a breach of trust.
The case came just as congregants in south Forsyth were already familiar with the vulnerabilities of temple security. In May 2019, six suspects walked into the Sri Maha Lakshmi Temple on Peachtree Parkway in Cumming around 5 p.m., and security cameras captured the incident. Reporting from that case said one suspect distracted priests while another stole gold jewelry from statues in the prayer room.
That earlier theft was first estimated at about $15,000 in gold jewelry. Priest Keshava Murthy later said 24K gold necklaces were missing from at least 10 female goddesses, underscoring that the stolen items were not just expensive ornaments but part of the temple’s worship and presentation of deities.
The 2019 burglary also changed how the temple handled visitors. Afterward, the Sri Maha Lakshmi Temple began requiring non-Hindus to present a government ID before entering the building. For congregants, that kind of step reflects a difficult balance in a county with busy commercial corridors, growing neighborhoods and a wide range of faith communities: keeping a temple open while making it harder for thieves to blend in with genuine visitors.
Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office says its Major Crimes Unit handles serious cases across the county, and victims of major crimes are contacted by victim advocates. In a case involving a temple, that response matters because the theft can leave worshippers feeling exposed long after the jewelry is gone.
Federal prosecutors later said temple thefts in Georgia were part of a broader multi-state crew that targeted Hindu and Buddhist temples around the country. The U.S. Department of Justice said the ring stole more than $80,000 in cash and jewelry, and the Northern District of Georgia U.S. Attorney’s Office said three Romanian nationals were arraigned on federal charges tied to the theft from the Hindu Temple of Atlanta in Riverdale.
Taken together, the cases show why thefts at houses of worship resonate so strongly in south Forsyth. They drain money, disturb worship and force temples to rethink how they protect sacred property in spaces built on openness and routine.
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