Buddhist temples in Henrico targeted in several break-ins

Henrico Police officials are investigating break-ins at two Buddhist temples in Henrico County earlier this week.

The incidents happened Oct. 30 at 1:20 p.m. at the Vien Giac Buddhist Temple in the 2200 block of Mountain Road in Glen Allen and about five hours later at another temple (the Lumbini Buddhist Meditation Center) in the 2400 block of Old Hanover Road in Sandston. In both cases, the perpetrators entered by kicking in a back door.

In the first incident, three men reportedly did so but fled the property without taking anything. In the latter case, a witness reported seeing one person kick in the door and take several items, as well as cash, before fleeing.

Police also were called to the Vien Giac temple in January this year for a burglary.

Detectives are working to determine whether the two Oct. 30 incidents are connected.

Nationally, break-ins at Buddhist temples have become a recent trend, according to Henrico Police officials, who said they have met with representatives from both temples to provide tips about how to best prevent such incidents.

Among their tips:

• walk around the place of worship/business/home to look for any weaknesses, such as unlocked windows or doors, poor lighting, overgrown shrubbery providing hiding spots;

• make sure all doors and windows are secured when the building is not in active use;

• invest in a camera system, and make sure it is turned on and functioning properly and captures all areas around the place of worship/home/business, as well as activity in the street in front of the property;

• do not leave large unsecured amounts of cash, jewelry, or anything of great value in in the place of worship/home/business/;

• refrain from keeping any cash within a place of worship;

• be vigilant, and look for and report any suspicious activity.

“We’re grateful for the collaborative effort among our patrol officers, criminal investigators, and community policing officers helping combat crime in these faith-based communities,” said Henrico Chief of Police Eric D. English. “Oftentimes, there are language barriers when our officers respond to a call for service. We’re thankful to have officers within the division who can speak a second language, which allows us to thoroughly gather information and move forward with investigating the incident. These efforts help showcase our division’s motto of One Team, One Community, Safer Together.”

Anyone with information related to these break-ins is asked to contact Henrico Police at (804) 501-5000. Tips also may be provided anonymously through Crime Stoppers at (804) 780-1000 or by using P3tips.com.