JAJPUR: Residents of Darpanigada on Friday met Jajpur SP Rahul PR requesting him to bring back the stolen Astadhatu idol of their village deity which was reportedly recovered by the authorities of New Delhi airport.
A delegation from Darpanigada village led by local sarpanch Ranjan Das met Rahul at his office at Panikoili and urged him to take immediate steps to retrieve the idol of Maa Kotrakshi which was stolen last year.
The stolen idol was seized by the Delhi airport authorities when it was being smuggled outside India in a cargo flight. The idol was sent to the Archeological Survey of India (ASI) for examination. After identifying the idol, the ASI authorities informed the matter to the Jajpur SP last month.
Rahul said, “We have written to the Customs authorities and the ASI to return the Astadhatu idol. Their reply is awaited. Once we get a response, a police team along with a representative of Darpanigada village will go to New Delhi to bring back the idol.”
Notably, unidentified miscreants had stolen the idol of Maa Kotrakshi from Darpanigada village on January 11, 2021.