LOWER NAZARETH TWP., Pa. — Police filed charges against three men for their alleged involvement in stealing video surveillance equipment from a Sikh temple.
The Colonial Regional Police Department issued warrants Thursday. Charged are Kamal J. Singh, 61; Robindeep Singh, 20; and Harjas Mann, who turns 26 next week.
- Video surveillance equipment was damaged and stolen on Jan. 15
- Three people connected with the temple have been charged
- Members say a rogue group of members have led a campaign of harassment and intimidation
Members of the Guru Nanak Sihk Society of Lehigh Valley — a Sikh temple, or gurdwara, off Daniels Road — say the three are among a group of disgruntled members of the temple who have disrupted services and split from the current temple leadership.
Police say video surveillance on Jan. 15 of this year captured five people forcibly enter two locked rooms in the temple. They damaged surveillance cameras and two door locks, and left with a DVR, hard drive and router, according to police. They also allegedly removed a Nest surveillance camera from a wall.
Police valued the stolen items at more than $1,700 and damage to surveillance cameras and locks at more than $700.
Police said Kamal Singh during an interview claimed the items belonged to him, but he could not produce receipts. Temple members provided receipts showing purchases for Nest cameras and a DVR system just days before the Jan. 15 incident.
Harjas Mann is charged with theft, receiving stolen property and criminal mischief – all misdemeanors; Robindeep Singh is charged with theft, conspiracy to commit receiving stolen property and conspiracy to commit criminal mischief; Kamal Singh is charged with three counts of conspiracy to commit theft, receiving stolen property and criminal mischief.
The three men had yet to be arraigned or formally presented the charges Friday morning, according to a district court clerk for Nazareth-area District Judge John Capobianco.
In February, society members called a news conference to detail what they described as a campaign of threats and harassment by a rogue group of temple members. They said law enforcement wasn’t doing enough to protect them.
Police and Northampton County District Attorney Terry Houck have characterized it as a civil matter — a dispute between two groups, neither with clear ownership nor authority of the temple.
