A Hindu temple in the US State of California has been raided by burglars who stole a donation box from the premises, leaving the Indian community in a state of shock.

The incident took place on Monday at the Hari Om Radha Krishna Mandir in the Parkway neighbourhood, at about 2:15 am, the Sacramento Bee newspaper reported.

The Sacramento Police Department is investigating the burglary at the Hindu Temple.

Police did not disclose what was stolen, but dispatch audio indicated a donation collection box was taken.

Dispatchers told people that six suspects were seen on the grounds through surveillance video, including two who were inside the temple, when police were called, the report added.

Police said no arrests have been made, but the incident remains under investigation.

Meanwhile, condemning the incident, the US-based advocacy organisation Coalition of Hindus of North America (CoHNA) has asked the Sacramento Police to take this issue very seriously and investigate it as a potential hate crime.

“Disturbing news from Sacramento, California where a #HinduTemple has been broken into. We ask @SacPolice to take this issue very seriously and investigate it as a potential hate crime and the violation of a sacred space. Police are asking for public help in identifying the suspects,” they posted on X.

Guru Maharaj and his wife were at home when they received an alert.

“The first thing I saw was the curtains blowing and I said, ‘Oh, my God. Somebody is in the building,’ ” Maharaj’s wife was quoted as saying by the CBS news.

As footage from the temple showed, someone tried to break through three doors and a car.

“They went right through to the donation box in darkness,” Maharaj said.

The footage shows the thieves lifting the box up and carrying it out behind the building. They hoisted the box, which reportedly weighed close to 100 pounds, over the fence then shoved it in a getaway car and took off.

“It’s a very big hit to our community and we’re here to help people out,” Maharaj said. 

A suspected gunman has taken an unknown number of people hostage inside a post office in Japan, authorities said Tuesday, following a suspected shooting in a nearby hospital.

“At approximately 2:15 pm today (0515 GMT), a person has taken hostages and holed up at a post office in Chuo 5-chome area of Warabi city… The perpetrator is possessing what appears to be a gun,” the city’s authorities said on their website.

“Citizens near the scene are urged to follow police instructions and evacuate in accordance with police instructions.”

The Yomiuri daily reported that around 10 post office staff members may be inside the building.

The Yomiuri also reported there is speculation that the man may be carrying kerosene with him, without citing sources.

Police urged 300 residents in the nearby area to evacuate, broadcaster TBS said.

A number of police cars were surrounding the post office.

The incident came as police investigated a shooting incident in the nearby town of Toda, on the outskirts of Tokyo, earlier in the day.

Two people were slightly wounded in that incident, but it was unclear how they were hurt. 

It was also unclear if the two incidents were related.

Images on television showed the man inside the post office in a baseball cap and a white shirt under a dark coat, with what looked like a gun attached to a cord around his neck.

Violent crime is vanishingly rare in Japan, in part because of strict regulations on gun ownership.

Japan has one of the lowest murder rates in the world.

But recent years have seen violent crimes, including gun attacks, make headlines in the country, most notably the assassination of former prime minister Shinzo Abe in July last year.

Abe’s accused assassin, Tetsuya Yamagami, reportedly targeted the politician over his links to the Unification Church.

In April a man was arrested for allegedly hurling an explosive towards Prime Minister Fumio Kishida as he campaigned in the city of Wakayama. Kishida was unharmed.

The following month a man holed up in a building after allegedly killing four people, including two police officers and an elderly woman, in a gun and knife attack.

Masanori Aoki, 31, was taken into custody at his house outside a farm near the city of Nakano in the Nagano region, police said at the time.

Two women and two police officers were killed in the attack.

Actress Jeon So-min bid farewell to the staff of ‘Running Man’ after announcing her departure from the show. She expressed her desire to say goodbye gradually and thanked the staff for their contribution to her iconic frog character. Jeon So-min joined ‘Running Man’ in 2017 and became beloved by viewers for her enthusiasm and chemistry with the cast. The show’s staff acknowledged her dedication and decision to take a break to focus on her acting career. They requested support for Jeon So-min and labeled her an “eternal member.” Speculation now grows over her replacement on the show.