BEHAMPUR: Unidentified miscreants allegedly looted ornaments worth lakhs of rupees and cash from Tara Tarini Temple atop Kumari hill in Ganjam district, police said on Wednesday.
The miscreants entered the temple in Purusottampur village by breaking the metal grills and locks. They looted several silver and gold ornaments and valuable items, including the crown of the deity and a ceremonial umbrella. They also broke the locks of the donation box and decamped with cash.
Executive officer of the temple board TK Reddy said the temple was closed at about 10 pm on Tuesday. When the servitors reached the temple in the morning, they found the locks and grills broken. "They have looted ornaments and many valuable items," he said.
Reddy said the temple lacks CCTV surveillance as the cameras were removed for renovation of the temple. Though the security guard of the temple was on duty, he suspected that the miscreants might entered the temple premises when the guard was not present at the main entrance.
"In the board meeting last month, it has been decided to install CCTV cameras after renovation is completed," he added.
The temple's head priest said the miscreants entered the temple by breaking the locks of the main entrance and the sanctum sanctorum. They decamped with ornaments, valuable items and cash from the donation box, he said.
Purushottampur police reached the spot and is investigating the incident. Efforts are on to identify and apprehend the miscreants. Preservation works in the 500-year-old temple of Goddess Tara Tarini, the presiding deity of Ganjam and a famous shakti peeth in southern Odisha, was taken up a cost of Rs 117 crore. It was one of the major religious places in the state where additional facilities were created under the previous BJD government's 5T initiative to boost tourism.