Police seek man after mosque break-in

A raider took off his shoes in a mosque before he broke into an office inside and stole a large amount of cash, police said today.

The offender, described as Asian, was seen on CCTV walking into the Al-Falah Majid Mosque in Bolton, Greater Manchester.

He then targeted the office before he left the scene in Salisbury Street, Deane, at around 6.45am on Wednesday May 12.

Police released images of the man who they want to trace in connection with the incident. The offender was wearing a blue Adidas jacket and dark-coloured trousers.

Pc Paul Hickman, of the Rumworth Neighbourhood Policing Team, said: "I would ask members of the local community to look closely at the images to see if you know who the man is.

"It is clear from the footage the man was very comfortable in the mosque and knew where he was going so the man may well live locally.

"Burglaries at places of worship are very rare in this area and to stop anything like this again we need to catch this man."

Anyone with information should call police on 0161 856 5619 or call the independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously on 0800 555 111.