Pradeep Pattanayak

People usually visit temples to seek blessings from the God. But is it not astonishing that a person visits a place of religious importance to steal. Yes, a video showing a man stealing cash from the famous 11th century old Lingaraj temple in Bhubaneswar has now become the talk of the town. 

In the video which was captured in a CCTV footage, the man could be seen stealing some cash from the donation plate placed inside the temple before leaving the shrine. While the exact date of the act is yet to be ascertained, the incident of theft came to the fore on Sunday when the CCTV camera footage was scanned. 

The act showed a man along with a few other devotees standing near the Ada Katha inside the temple where a brass plate has been put in place for devotees to donate contributions. 

Interestingly, when the visitors offered prayers, with almost all closing their eyes, the man taking advantage of the situation cleverly put his hand on the plate and grabbed handful of notes before leaving the spot. He is said to have decamped with around Rs 8000.  

The man committed the theft, believing none was looking at him. But, he was not aware that he was being watched closely by CCTV cameras installed inside the temple. 

Sources said, the stolen money did not belong to the temple, but it was meant for Badu Nijog servitors who at the end of the day generally divide the entire receivings among them. However, no police complaint has so far been lodged in this regard.
 

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