Mentally challenged man arrested for damaging Durga idol in Hyderabad

While a case has been booked against the accused for causing mischief, the DCP said that the organisers have also been booked for violating the conditions specified in the event organisation permit.
Representative image.
Representative image.
Updated on
2 min read

HYDERABAD: Police apprehended a man on Friday night for allegedly vandalised the idol of goddess Durga placed at a pandal in Nampally.

The accused, identified as Krishnaiah Goud, is a native of Nagarkurnool and is mentally unsound, the police said. He is a vagabond and begs for a living, the cops added.

Speaking to the media late on Friday night, DCP (Central Zone) Akshansh Yadav said, “He entered the grounds at around 9.15 pm last night when a dandiya programme was being held. He stayed at the venue through the night and at around 3 am, he went searching for food, which is when he must have scattered the prasad and damaged the idol.”

It is also likely that he was looking to take money from the pandal, as the hundi was found disturbed, the official added.

While a case has been booked against the accused for causing mischief, the DCP said that the organisers have also been booked for violating the conditions specified in the event organisation permit.

“As per the intimation form, a volunteer needs to be there at the spot round the clock. However, when the incident occurred, there was no volunteer,” the DCP said.

Further, the cops said that the organiser did not have sufficient volunteers. While they had mentioned only five volunteers for the event, nobody was present at the spot between 3 am and 5 am, which is when the incident occurred.

At around 5.30 am on Friday, the Begum Bazaar police received a call from the Exhibition grounds that the right hand of the idol of Goddess Durga was broken and the prasad kept at the pandal was scattered by unknown persons.

A team of police from the Begum Bazaar police station immediately reached the spot and started an investigation.

During preliminary investigation, the police found that the CCTV cameras in the pandal were not in working condition. Similarly, a few of the cameras at the venue were also reportedly not functional. However, following the examination of the CCTV camera footage received from opposite the Exhibition grounds, the police were able to trace the location of the accused.

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