Khurda: Police today arrested four persons on charges of stealing Idols from Daksha Prajapati temple under Banpur police station limits in Khordha District.
The accused persons have been identified as Mukesh Chandra Meena, Kailash Meena, Chuttan and, Manoj Kumar Meena from Rajasthan.
According to reports, on 22 December 2020, the accused persons barged into the 800-year-old Daksha Prajapati temple in Banpur town of Khurda district by breaking open the locks of three doors and made away with 22 idols from the temple. Following this, police launched a probe after registering a case in this regard.
Different teams led by IIC Sanjay Patnaik, IO SI Rk Behera, and SI BK Mallick under the supervision of Balugaon SDPO, were engaged in the investigation of the case from different angles.
After pertinent efforts, police yesterday arrested one of the accused, Kailash Meena, from Barunei temple area of Khordha. Meena’s arrest led to the apprehension of the other three accused persons. The cops also seized nine idols of different Gods & Goddesses, four ingots, one Aadhar Card, three mobile phones, and an air bag from their possession.
On being questioned, they revealed that they often visit Odisha for stealing idols, posing as labourers engaged in mounting electric poles. In the pretext of pole work, they visit different places not only to get familiarized with the locality but also to conduct reconnaissance of temples with a view to design the theft plans. They used to steal idols made up of stones, metals, and alloys.
Besides, they confessed that they used to melt those idols into ingots as it is difficult to carry all the stolen properties with them as they commit theft of many idols from different places.
Reportedly, the accused persons have been forwarded to court and further investigation is underway into the matter.
