Ornaments of Jagannath temple deities looted in Odisha's Phulbani

Some unidentified miscreants burgled the gold ornaments of the Holy Trinity at Jagannath temple in Phulbani town of Kandhamal district, late Saturday night.

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According to sources, the thieves forced open the temple’s main entrance and decamped with the valuables along with a huge amount of cash kept in a Hundi (donation box). However, the total amount of looted money has not been ascertained yet.

The head of the temple’s managing committee lodged an FIR at Phulbani Town police station, early this morning. Local police have initiated a detailed probe into the incident.

“I arrived at the temple in the morning at around 5.20 am and found the main door locks were broken. The second and the third doors were even broken open. This suggests that the miscreants entered the shrine’s sanctum sanctorum (Garbha Gruha). Immediately, I informed the president and secretary of the temple managing committee. I also reported the matter to local police,” the temple head priest, Shankar Padhi said.

“The miscreants have looted the donation box too,” the senior priest alleged.

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“Three doors were broken open and the golden Chitas (an ornament worn on the head) of the deities were stolen. Cash of around Rs 3 lakh to Rs 4 lakh was there in the Hundi. The donation box was not opened for quite a long time,” the temple managing committee president, Sunasir Mohaptra said.