KENDRAPARA: In a daring incident, miscreants targeted the renowned Maa Satabhauni temple on Monday night in Dihapada village under Pattamundai Rural police station, looting gold and silver ornaments along with other valuables totaling around Rs 10 lakh. The criminals also made away with approximately Rs 20,000 cash by breaking the temple’s Hundi (donation box).
The theft came to the fore on Tuesday morning when the temple priest arrived for worship and found the deities’ ornaments missing. The president of the temple’s managing committee, Srikant Nayak, filed an FIR, prompting the police to launch an investigation.
“We have been scrutinising video footage from nearby areas, which might provide vital clues regarding the theft incident,” stated IIC of Pattamundai Rural police station Padmalaya Pradhan. Authorities suspect the involvement of skilled thieves specialising in targeting religious places. A dedicated police team has been formed to investigate, acknowledging the possibility of ‘insider’ involvement.
The news of the burglary drew a large crowd to the temple on Tuesday morning, all of who demanded immediate arrest of the perpetrators. This incident follows a similar temple loot two months ago at the Panchubarahi temple in Bagapatia village under Rajnagar police station.
Though Kendrapara has witnessed around 25 cases of burglaries in temples, Buddhist monasteries, and historic places, in the last five years, the conviction rate remains nearly nil, due to delay in case hearings, evidence tampering, lack of forensic tests, non-cooperation of eyewitnesses, and other factors, said lawyer Subash Das.
The only exception was when a burglar was sentenced to two years imprisonment in connection with the theft of idols and the ornaments from the famous Radhakrushna temple in Nurugaon village on March 23 2021, he added.