Milpitas Hindu Temple Burglarized in Pre-Dawn Theft; DA Charges Man in South Bay Temple Crime Spree
The Shirdi Sai Parivaar Temple in Milpitas was struck by burglars in the early morning hours of September 25, 2025, with intruders carrying off the center donation hundi and sacred jewelry from the Chavdi in an incident that left the local Hindu community both financially harmed and spiritually shaken. The break-in adds to a documented pattern of temple-targeted crimes across California's South Bay, a trend that has drawn the attention of the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office, which charged a San Jose man with burglarizing at least eight religious institutions in the region.
🪔 Pre-Dawn Break-In at Shirdi Sai Parivaar Temple Leaves Milpitas Hindu Community Heartbroken
The Shirdi Sai Parivaar Temple in Milpitas was burglarized between 5:30 and 5:40 a.m. on September 25, 2025, when intruders forced open a side lobby door and entered the main hall, according to Diya TV. The thieves removed the center donation hundi — a box containing offerings collected from recent religious celebrations — and also stole jewelry from the Chavdi, items considered sacred by devotees. Temple officials shared CCTV footage of the suspects with Milpitas police, who opened an investigation. A temple spokesperson told Diya TV: "We don't know how much cash is lost. Our hundi is gone, completely taken away. It's very sentimental for all of us. More than money, we are heartbroken that someone entered the temple and stepped onto the podium." Diya TV placed the Milpitas incident within a wider pattern of break-ins and vandalism targeting Hindu temples across California, with similar incidents reported in Santa Clara, Fremont, Newark, Sacramento, and Indiana over the prior two years. Community leaders called for stronger security measures and federal recognition of what they described as an escalating trend of hate and opportunistic crimes against Hindu places of worship. Police urged nearby houses of worship to review their security protocols. [3]
DA Charges San Jose Man in Eight-Institution Burglary Spree Targeting South Bay Temples and Churches
The Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office charged a San Jose man with burglarizing at least eight religious institutions across the South Bay, including a Milpitas Hindu temple, in a spree spanning December through February, Patch reported. Jaime Gutierrez Flores, 33, was arrested at a San Jose church and held on $1 million bail. Prosecutors alleged that Flores and an accomplice targeted a Hindu temple in Sunnyvale on three separate occasions, stealing more than $45,000 from donation boxes, and that the theft ring accumulated more than $50,000 in total from churches and temples across the region. District Attorney Jeff Rosen said: "Our schools, our homes, our places of worship, are special and sacred places, and when they are invaded by criminals it feels as though our whole community has been violated. Our office will hold this criminal, and anyone who acted with him, fully responsible to the law." The case sharpened concerns in the Milpitas South Asian community about the vulnerability of temples that maintain on-site cash donation boxes, and prompted wider discussion about whether existing statutes adequately addressed targeted attacks on religious institutions serving immigrant communities. Police urged nearby places of worship to review their security systems following the arrests. [5]
Sources: [3] diyatvusa.com · [5] Patch