THANJAVUR:In one of the biggest heists, thieves decamped with 316 sovereigns of jewellery from an ancient temple in the district in the wee hours of Tuesday.
According to sources, the archakas who came to the Varadharajaperumal temple in Kaarappankadu village near Madukkur on Tuesday found the locks of the sanctum sanctorum of the temple broken and the valuables missing. The Madukkur police was informed, so were the officials of the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Department.
They checked the valuable jewels kept in an almirah near the sanctum sanctorum and found 2 kg and 528 gm of gold jewels (316 sovereign) stolen.
R Sudhakar, the Superintendent of Police, visited the temple and held enquiries. Earlier, Aravind Menon, the Assistant Superintendent of Police, Pattukkottai, visited the scene for investigation. Forensic experts from Thanjavur arrived and collected evidence from the spot, including fingerprints. A sniffer dog too was pressed into service. Special teams have been formed to catch the culprits, said police officials.