Balasore: An elderly man was paraded with a brass snake-idol put around his neck by locals in Ganeswarpur village under Remuna block of Balasore district late last night as a punishment for allegedly stealing the serpent statue from a nearby temple.
As per reports, a brass-snake idol along with some other valuables used in the rituals at Shiva Temple of Ganeswarpur village was allegedly stolen from the village two days ago.
After frantically searching for the thief, villagers found the stolen items from the house of one Bhagirathi Swain of nearby Srikrushnapur village.
After the revelation, irate villagers forced Bhagirathi to wear the recovered brass snake idol around his neck and paraded him around the village as a punishment for stealing from the temple.
Locals alleged that Bhagirathi sold off other stolen valuables in the grey market and also claimed that he was a habitual offender and had stolen from other temples too in the past.
Balasore Industrial Area Police has detained the theft-accused for further questioning in connection with the incident.