Amid the manhunt for recovering the ancient idol of Lord Raghunath (Rama) and other items stolen from the Raghunath Temple in Kullu on Tuesday, the police on Friday rounded up a few suspects of a gang that had earlier stolen idols from other temples in the area.
“A gang, which had earlier stolen idols from other temples in the area, has been identified and raids have been conducted to apprehend them. These suspects are presently being questioned by the police,” additional director general of police (law and order) Sanjay Kundu said.
“We have gathered CCTV footage from the cameras installed at Sarvari Bazar and bus stand and have scanned the footage and obtained some vital clues. The footage shows three unidentified youths roaming on the road leading to the temple,” said the police.
The police also released a brief profile of the three youths aged around 25, believed to be Nepalese nationals.
Sleuths investigating the theft have also sought assistance from the Atal Bihari Mountaineering Institute in Manali that offers courses in mountaineering and rope climbing.
The police suspect that the thieves, who used a rope to scale down the sanctum sanctorum of the temple, could have been professional mountaineers.
{{/usCountry}}The police suspect that the thieves, who used a rope to scale down the sanctum sanctorum of the temple, could have been professional mountaineers.
{{/usCountry}}Meanwhile, guardian of Lord Raghunath, Maheshawar Singh, said a puja would be performed “to persuade the deities to offer help in such a situation” at Jagti Patt temple in Naggar on Sunday.