Precious Astadhatu idols stolen from Radhakanta temple recovered

Kendrapara: The seven precious Astadhatu idols that were stolen from Radhakanata temple in Giria village under Rajkananika police station of the district were recovered today from a cashew field in the nearby Kantapada village.

According to sources, the idols were found in a cashew field by the villagers, who in turn informed the Rajkanika police about the incident. Soon, police arrived at the spot and took the idols into their custody.

Reports claimed that the idols were stolen from the temple on August 7, 2018, following which a complaint was lodged at the police station. The price of all the seven idols has been estimated to be more than Rs 50 lakh.

Meanwhile, police has expedited the investigation to find a clue to nab the miscreants involved in the incident and also to ascertain how the idols ended up at the cashew field.

“After a preliminary probe, the idols of the deities would be soon handed over to the temple priest for reinstallation,” said a police official present at the site.