VIJAYAWADA: A daylight theft at Sri Durga Malleswara Swamy Varla Devasthanam (SDMSD) atop Indrakeeladri has raised serious concerns over poor security and lack of full-time CCTV surveillance.
A family from Hyderabad, travelling to Amalapuram for a wedding, parked their car near the Om turning point and went for darshan of presiding deity Kanaka Durga.
Upon returning, they found the car door open and gold ornaments weighing around 20 grams, worth Rs 3 lakh, missing from their luggage.
The family alerted security personnel and checked CCTV footage but found that the location had no surveillance cameras. They later lodged a complaint with One Town Police, who registered a case and began investigation.
Inspector Guru Prakash of One Town Police said that based on initial investigation, the accused likely conducted a recce and targeted the car parked in an unsecured zone. A Clues team collected forensic evidence from the scene.
The incident has triggered concerns among devotees, who urged the temple authorities to strengthen surveillance and deploy adequate security staff to prevent such incidents.
In 2021, the State police geo-tagged 58,871 temples across all 26 districts and carried out security audits. Temple protection committees were also formed involving locals to safeguard religious premises.
A senior temple official, speaking anonymously, said most audit recommendations remain unimplemented due to administrative delays. “Only 20 per cent of the temple area is under CCTV surveillance,” the official said.
Devotees have demanded round-the-clock monitoring and swift execution of proposed security upgrades to ensure safety of pilgrims and their belongings.