Amritsar: A gang of nine women thieves was arrested from Golden Temple complex yesterday for allegedly stealing valuables, including mobiles, cash of devotees coming to visit Harmandir Sahib (Golden Temple), Amritsar.

In a joint operation which was led by SGPC and the Punjab Police, all nine women were caught on the CCTV cameras which eventually led to their arrest. They were initially caught by SGPC workforce but were later handed over to city police for further investigation.

SGPC recovered 15 mobile phons, cash worth Rs 10,000, expensive clothing and wallets from them.

With nearly one lakh devotees paying obeisance every day at the Golden Temple — the number rises to a lakh-and-a-half on weekends and festivals — the Sikh shrine is a favourite hunting ground for thieves.

Since June, 2011 — when the cameras became functional more than 200 thieves have been caught in the act with the help of CCTV footage. If one goes by record, almost every alternate day, a thief is caught at Golden Temple Complex.