Robbers struck at two temples early on Wednesday killing an inmate in one and looting valuables from both.
An inmate of the Kallooppara Bhagavathi Temple at Mallappally was murdered and the cupola which contained 15 sovereigns of gold worth `5 lakh was stolen.
In the second incident, a gold crown weighing 48 grams and a gold chain weighing 23 grams wwere looted from the Sree Krishnaswami Temple, Mavelikkara, near Alappuzha.
Robbers murdered Gopalakrishnan alias Kaimal, 65, of the Bhagavathi Temple and seriously wounded watcher G Chandrasekharan Pillai, 60, of Parayil House, Kallappara.
He was hospitalised at Kumbanadu.
Kaimal’s body was found tied to a pillar below the Pampa irrigation canal 300 metres from the temple.
An adhesive plaster was stuck over his mouth and nose.
Chandrasekharan was tied to another pillar.
The temple, owned by Sree Devi Vilasam Haindava Seva Samiti, is famous for the padayani festival