In a major development, the Puri police on Tuesday claimed to have detained the prime suspect in vandalisation of chulhas of Rosaghara (kitchen) of Jagannath temple.
As per preliminary reports, the accused has been nabbed from Puri-Khordha border area. He hailed from Begunia area.
Sources said the accused has confessed to ransacking the chulhas of the grand kitchen of Jagannath temple.
Four teams of police comprising IICs of Town and Baseli Sahi police stations were on the lookout for the accused.
"The suspect identified in CCTV footage has just now been detained. Further interrogation is underway," tweeted Puri police.
Around 80 mud ovens (chulhas) inside the Puri Jagannath temple’s kitchen also known as the ‘Rosa Ghara’ were allegedly vandalised on Sunday, triggering a major uproar across the State. The controversy came at a time when the Odisha government is facing backlash from the Opposition parties over digging works near the temple as part of the heritage corridor project.
Earlier in the day, the Singhadwar Police interrogated four Jagannath Temple Police (JTP) personnel in connection with the incident. The four JTP have been issued a show-cause notice to immediately reply under what circumstances the serious breach of security occurred at the shrine.