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Odisha cops net idol thief after thrilling two-hour chase in Brahmani river
Odisha Police said the suspected idol thief jumped into the river by the time they could reach him and started swimming away.
A 56-year-old suspected idols’ thief gave Odisha Police a hard time on Saturday by jumping into the mighty Brahmani river in state’s Kendrapara district with an intention to escape.
Prafulla Mallick, 56, accused of stealing the idols of Lord Ram, Laxman and Sita and some valuables on the night of July 2 from a temple in Dandasahi village under Pattamundai block of Kendrapara district, allegedly threw the stolen idols into a bamboo grove and jumped into the river to dodge the police that arrived at his house on Saturday afternoon in relation with the theft case.
The cops said they wanted to question Mallick since he has a history of involvement in idol-theft cases.
“He had jumped into the river by the time we could reach him and started swimming away. He is an expert swimmer and was slipping away, forcing us to give him a chase,” said Rakesh Tripathy, inspector of Pattamundai police station.
The cops then quickly arranged for two country boats and began chasing him in the river, but, Mallick continued to dodge and dunk out of their hands. Police then sought help from local firemen, who jumped into the river to catch Mallick, who was finally caught after two hours long chase. The idols were also seized from the bamboo grove.
Mallick, however, said he was innocent. “This is a false case against me. I cannot say how and where the idols were recovered from. I entered the river water to have fun with the villagers,” he said.
Police said Mallick often portrays himself as a godman in the area and steals idols and has a case of idol theft pending against him in Nikirai police station of Kendrapara.
