Stolen Ekvira Devi dome recovered; two arrested

The theft of the dome had created a huge embarrassment for the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as goddess Ekvira Devi is the ‘Kul-Devi’ (family deity) of the Thackeray family.

In a major breakthrough, the Pune police (rural) recovered the golden dome on Tuesday which was stolen from the Ekvira Devi temple, Karla in Lonavla on October 3, 2017.

Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackera at the Ekvira Devi Temple, Karla near Lonavala along with the newly elected party MLAs to seek blessings. The two involved in the crime have been arrested. The accused who are related, have been identified as Rahul Bhagwat Gawande, and Somnath Ashok Gawande, both 24 years of age, and hail from Ahmednagar. (HT FILE PHOTO)

The two involved in the crime have been arrested. The accused who are related, have been identified as , both 24 years of age, and hail from Ahmednagar. Rahul is a graduate in commerce.

The theft of the dome had created a huge embarrassment for the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as goddess Ekvira Devi is the ‘Kul-Devi’ (family deity) of the Thackeray family.

“We have recovered the stolen golden dome which was kept hidden in the forest behind the temple. The accused had come here on a pilgrimage in October 2017, when they committed the crime,” Patil said.

The theft had caused an uproar among devotees who visit the temple from all over Maharashtra to worship the goddess.

The dome, which is made of ‘panch-dhatu’ (five metals) and has been donated by a devotee, weighs 2.5kg and estimated to be worth Rs 2,00,000. According to the closed circuit television (CCTV) footage, the theft took place at 3 am that day, leading to protests and a strike the next morning.

The two have a history of crime and landed on the police radar after Padmakar Ghanwat, police inspector of Pune rural police crime branch formed a special unit to investigate the theft. The two had asked around in the gold market to sell the gold dome, but were unable to do so.