2 charged after Twin Cities Buddhist, Hindu temples hit by national theft ring
Go Deeper.
Create an account or log in to save stories.
Like this?
Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.
Quick Read
Hindu and Buddhist communities in the Twin Cities are reeling after temples and homes of their members were burglarized earlier this year.
Religious leaders at Hindu Society of Minnesota in Maple Grove, which is Minnesota’s largest Hindu temple, and Sri Saibaba Mandir in Chaska and Wat Promwachirayan in St. Louis Park confirmed their temples were among those hit. The total loss is estimated to be well over $100,000.
That’s according to Shajive Jeganathan, president of Hindu Society of Minnesota. In the aftermath of the burglaries, he spoke to the affected temples.
“Three of them were Hindu temples and nine of them Buddhist temples from various communities – from the Cambodian, Malawi and the Thai and the Hmong communities that at least I'm aware of,” said Jeganathan.
Turn Up Your Support
MPR News helps you turn down the noise and build shared understanding. Turn up your support for this public resource and keep trusted journalism accessible to all.
Police said at least 16 temples and homes were burglarized but did not provide a comprehensive list of locations or dates, although one police report notes a failed burglary attempt at Thien An Temple in Blaine. MPR News contacted 10 temples but many did not reply.
The three temple members who spoke to MPR News said after the thefts, which happened May through July, they have increased security of their prayer spaces and priest quarters, but still feel they have to look over their shoulders.
The sprawling case has involved at least six law enforcement agencies across multiple jurisdictions that have identified multiple suspects in the burglaries. As of early October, two men — 27-year-old Artur Crudu and 37-year-old Stefan Buzoianu of Brooklyn Park — were charged in connection to the temple burglaries in Blaine and Chaska.
They are both facing multiple burglary charges, including second-degree burglary of a religious establishment and second-degree burglary of a dwelling. Apart from the temple-related cases, they and other people associated with them are also accused of stealing vehicles, guns and passports in residential burglaries in Coon Rapids, Minneapolis and more.
Crudu is currently being held in Orange County, California on suspicion of felony burglary. Buzoianu is in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody in Freeborn County, Minnesota, according to Maple Grove police.
Authorities confirm burglars are part of a national ring
Multiple jurisdictions including the Carver County Sheriff’s Office, St. Louis Park Police, Maple Grove Police and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension have been investigating the series of burglaries.
A Hennepin County search warrant for the burglary of the Hindu temple in Chaska filed in July said multiple temple and residential burglaries happened within the seven-county metro area. According to surveillance footage, it appeared to be the same group of suspects.
“In each of the burglaries, the suspects targeted religious temples or individuals believed to be associated with religious temples and predominantly stole religious jewelry and cash,” the warrant read.
“Investigators learned the burglaries were part of a larger criminal burglary/theft organization operating throughout the United States,” Carver County Sheriff’s Office Lt. Brian Sloat said.
The details of the local connection to the national ring are not clear, but police records show suspects in the Minnesota cases were also wanted on warrants related to burglary cases in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and the Philadelphia area, all areas that have experienced temple robberies recently.
Jeganathan says the religious communities he’s spoken to feel their sense of safety and privacy was violated.
“They are shattered, they’re scared. They’re certainly feeling a certain sense of lack of security. But the fact that law enforcement were able to get them arrested and we're able to recover quite a bit of items that were stolen. So that’s again, a testament to how good our law enforcement community here in Minnesota is, but also it certainly gave people a sense of closure to know that something bad happened, but there is justice and there is a sense of closure to this matter,” he said.
Suspects did ‘their homework’ before burglarizing Hindu Society of Minnesota
Jeganathan says two people broke into the priest quarters at the Hindu Society of Minnesota on June 21 and stole about $70,000 worth of jewelry and cash that belonged to two priests. So far, they have only recovered three items that are valued at around $5,000.
The two burglars had broken into the back door with a crowbar and ransacked two townhomes occupied by priests. The burglary was carried out in under 10 minutes, according to Jeganathan.
“They somehow were well aware that this was a service day, and the priests and their families would not be on site, but would be at the temple. So they used very strategic timing,” he said.
Jonathan Wetternach, Maple Grove police commander, confirmed the men were connected to a residential burglary in Maple Grove about a mile from the temple. Records show losses at that home were worth over $30,000. He confirmed on Monday that police were still investigating the reported burglary at Hindu Society of Minnesota.
“The charges stem from a comprehensive multi-jurisdictional investigation into a series of burglaries across the Twin Cities. Many of these burglaries targeted homes and places of worship belonging to individuals of the Hindu and Buddhist faiths. The burglary in Maple Grove had a significant impact on the victims and the community,” Wetternach said.
Jeganathan said the group will “do their homework” on the place they are targeting for a burglary.
“The suspects will visit temples at least two to three weeks beforehand with the intent of a tour, or with the intent of simply visiting for prayer or just to learn more. And they will walk in, they'll meet with a monk or a priest or a manager of the temple, and just ask a lot of questions about the place. When was it formed? What are the busiest times of the day? They’ll start looking at where cash goes,” he said.
St. Louis Park monk says burglars ransacked monks’ quarters
Similar burglaries happened at two temples in St. Louis Park and Chaska within six weeks prior to the burglary at the Hindu Society of Minnesota. On June 2, a group of two to three people broke into the monk’s residential home at Wat Promwachirayan in St. Louis Park.
It was the same day the temple hosted a celebration for their 21st anniversary, where community members and monks would be gathered at the main prayer space – a few feet away from the home that was burglarized.
The burglars broke into the monk’s quarters and stole $7,000 in cash in less than 10 minutes.
“They broke every door in the rooms in that residence,” said Phra Theerapattarapop Phuangmala, a monk who’s been with the temple for almost 17 years and whose room was also burglarized.
“They did it really fast and they really professional to do this,” he said. “And they try to look in everything. They try to destroy everything in each room too.”
He said the money that was taken was donations from the temple community. The temple had planned to use the money to pay for building renovations.
According to Phuangmala, the same burglars he saw on camera footage had visited the temple a week before the burglary.
“They came to this main hall, asking about our class meditation because they would like to know that how it’s going on in this building. And they asked, when can I come to practice meditation with you? And then they left,” Phuangmala said.
Phuangmala said this is the first time the temple has ever been targeted for burglaries. And he’s not expecting to be able to recover the money.
Police said a third suspect was arrested in connection to the Wat Promwachirayan burglary but was released pending further investigation.
Chaska temple member: ‘It’s very stressful to have your privacy invaded’
In Chaska, Sri Saibaba Mandir was the target of a burglary on May 17. Two people gained access to the building during off-service hours and stole three beaded gold necklaces in under three minutes.
“We were told there is a slim chance we will get those other items back, because this is a bigger gang or racket, whatever you want to call, across multiple states. So we don't even know if those exist, or they’re sold, or they were just sent out of the country,” said Tejnarayan Mucherla, a member of the temple since 2001.
Mucherla said they were able to recover one of their beaded necklaces, which he said are worth $15,000 to $20,000 total, but are still missing the other two. But for him, there is no sense of closure.
“It’s very stressful to have your privacy invaded by unknown people. And it’s like they monitored exactly what time you open, you what time you close. They had this pretty much laid out, like a very deep insight etched,” said Mucherla.
He also said the temple community will always feel guarded from now on.
“I would say it will not go away, because you still have that apprehension. Is there somebody in the house or somebody in the temple, as you come in, go out, so you want to have some good security measures,” Mucherla said.
Sloat of the Carver County Sheriff’s Office said hundreds of pieces of jewelry have been recovered but he knows it’s about more than that.
“I empathize with all our victims, however I’m afraid that there may be items not identified or additional jewelry not recovered that is irreplaceable,” said Sloat.