JAGATSINGHPUR: Absence of adequate security has turned the famous Sarala temple into a haven for pick-pockets and chain snatchers.
The inability of the police to act against the miscreants has emerged as a cause of concern for those visiting the temple.
Sources said instances of pickpocketing and chain snatching go up during festivals when a large number of devotees throng the temple.
A devotee, hailing from Tarikunda village under Jagatsinghpur police limits, said some miscreants snatched her gold chain in the temple.
When she went to the local police outpost to file an FIR, the personnel posted there discouraged her from doing so.
“The police personnel there told me that the chances of recovering the gold chain are slim and discouraged me from filing an FIR,” she said.
Priest of Sarala temple Ranjan Panda said seven cases of snatching and 50 of pickpocketing were reported in the temple on Saturday.
He said on Pana Sankranti, as many as 40 snatching and pickpocketing cases were reported but the police are yet to nab the culprits.
OIC of Kanakpur outpost Bibhuti Bhusan Sethy said shortage of police personnel and defunct CCTV cameras are responsible for rise in cases of snatching and pickpocketing.
He said only 10 police personnel were deployed on the temple premises during the Raja festival and this is not enough to manage the crowd.
Panda said the police are yet to receive any complaints from the devotees.