A major theft was reported at the ancient Uma Ram Lingeswar Shiva Temple and Baghua Temple near the old bus stand in Gunupur, Odisha’s Rayagada district, where miscreants allegedly broke open the temple locks late at night and stole gold and silver ornaments along with cash from the temple hundi.
Around over 20 grams of gold and more than 4 kg of silver ornaments were reportedly among the valuables stolen. The miscreants also allegedly damaged the CCTV system, cut its wires, and removed the hard disk before carrying out the theft.
The theft came to light after a priest arrived at the temple to perform the daily rituals early on Saturday. Tuku Pradhani, a temple priest, said that another priest noticed that the temple gate was broken and the lights around the CCTV cameras were off.
The priest then informed others, after which they reached the temple and found that the ornaments and donation box were missing. Pradhani said, “When we reached the temple, we found that all the gold and silver ornaments, along with the donation box, had been stolen. Around Rs 10 lakh worth of items and cash were stolen.”
The removal of the CCTV hard disk raised doubts over whether the complete footage of the theft will be available. Gunupur police reached the spot after receiving information about the incident and launched an investigation.
Police were examining the circumstances in which the surveillance system was damaged and the hard disk removed. Efforts were underway to recover the stolen valuables and identify and apprehend those involved.
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