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Ayodhya: Eight idols stolen from century-old temple
The idols made of metal and three to nine inches tall were stolen from the temple that is managed by a private trust named Ram Janki Trust, said Ayodhya SSP.
Eight ancient idols were stolen from a temple in the Ayodhya district of Uttar Pradesh in the wee hours on Wednesday, police officials said. The local police have lodged a case and initiated the investigation.
Confirming this Ayodhya’s senior superintendent of police (SSP) Sailesh Kumar Pandey said, “The idols were stolen from a temple under Haidergarh police station. Initially, it was said that nine idols were missing but one of the idols was recovered from the temple premises. We have lodged a case of theft and initiated investigation.”
According to police sources, the temple is built on the private property of one Anand Kumar Singh, who is a descendent of a royal family. The temple was under a private trust named Ram Janki Trust. The temple was built by Singh’s ancestors over a century ago. The temple has several idols kept inside. The priest of the temple, on Wednesday morning, found the lock on the inner gate of the temple broken and idols’ missing.
“The missing idols were made of metal and were three to nine inches tall and were over a century old. We have formed two teams to track the thieves. We are taking help from the dog squad, forensic unit and local intelligence,” said Satyendra Bhushan Tiwari, Circle Officer, of the area. “The temple has no CCTV camera or security guard. A priest takes care of the temple and locks it in the night,” he added.
As per residents, some idols were stolen from the same temple over 15 years ago. A case regarding that matter was lodged but the idols were never recovered.
