BALASORE: Unidentified miscreants broke into the Jagannath temple located in the centre of Baliapal town and looted money from the shrine’s donation box on Wednesday night.
As per sources, the miscreants broke the lock of the main gate to gain entry into the temple premises before forcing open the donation box and stealing all cash offerings made by devotees.
The theft was discovered on Thursday morning when the temple priest who had locked the shrine after finishing puja the evening before came to conduct the morning rituals.
He found the main gate closed but its lock broken and laying on the ground. When he entered the temple, he found the donation box reportedly broken and not a single coin or cash inside it.
The priest immediately informed members of the temple trust about the matter. As the news spread, crowd was seen near the temple. On being informed, police rushed to the spot and launched an investigation into the matter.
As per report, there was no CCTV camera or other security facilities at the temple. Addressing the media, Baliapal police station IIC Govind Chandra Behera said, “ A theft case has been registered and investigation is underway”.