VELLORE: A panchaloha idol was stolen from a temple near Pennaththur on Sunday night. Sources said one Selva Vinayakar Temple is located in Kottamedu village in Sozhavaram North along the Pennaththur-Amirthi Road. The temple is 40-years-old and one Maargabandu is the priest.
The temple had a 97 kg panchaloha idol of Vinayagar, which was consecrated in 2007. The idol used to be taken out only during festivals and important occasions.
On Sunday night, Maargabandu locked the main door of the temple after completing the day’s rituals and left for home. On Monday morning, some villagers noticed the temples main door opened and the lock broken. Immediately, they alerted Maarganbandu who rushed to the spot and found that the idol was missing. He also found an iron rod lying near the main door.
Upon receiving information, police came to the temple and conducted preliminary inquiries. It is suspected that the thieves broke open the lock and took away the idol, which is valued around `5 lakh.
One villager said that even though the temple was surrounded by houses and shops, there was no light around the temple due to lack of enough street lights. An inquiry is on.