No headway in temple theft case

Two days after the theft at Prachin Sheetla Mata Temple in BRS Nagar where thieves had also damaged the idols and desecrated the lingam, devotees were upset over the failure of the police to nab the culprits. They said the incident had hurt their religious feelings.

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Anger was visible among the residents and devotees who were shocked that the criminals have now started targeting temples. The lack of police patrolling in the area is one of the reasons which emboldens criminals, they said.

“I am a regular visitor to the temple. When I saw the desecrated Shivling and idols, I felt devastated,” said Amit Kumar, a resident of Sunet.

Another resident Amita Sharma said, “The police should take the case seriously as the matter is related to our religious feelings. If the police fail the nab the culprits in a couple of days, we will start an agitation against the police. We cannot tolerate the fact that the accused, who damaged the idols and lingam, is enjoying a free run. I request Police Commissioner Kuldeep Chahal to form a special investigation team to investigate the matter.”

Meanwhile, temple priest Dashrath Prashad Shastri told The Tribune that Pindi of Mata Sheetla had 19 kg silver, Shivling had 10 kg silver along with 5 kg snake idol, 2.5 kg silver crowns and one tola gold nose ring of one idol. The value of the stolen jewellery would be around Rs 40 lakh.