Four temples looted in Keonjhar, police probe begins

A series of thefts at four temples in Belabahali village under Ghasipura police station limits in Odisha’s Keonjhar district has caused concern among local residents. Gold and silver ornaments along with donation boxes were stolen from the temples, police said on Friday.

The incident came to light when a local woman visited one of the temples and found that the ornaments and other temple articles were missing. She also noticed that the donation boxes had been removed. She immediately alerted other villagers, who rushed to the temple premises and informed the police.

Temples Targeted in Single Incident

Preliminary investigation revealed that the miscreants targeted four temples in a single night. These included the local Jagannath temple and nearby temples dedicated to Goddess Bimala, Goddess Lakshmi and Lord Ram. The thieves allegedly broke open the locks of the temples and made away with the deities’ ornaments as well as the donation boxes.

Villagers later conducted a search in the surrounding areas and recovered the donation boxes from a nearby field. The boxes were found broken and concealed under hay, indicating an attempt by the miscreants to hide them after removing the cash.

Police Investigation Underway

Ghasipura police reached the spot soon after receiving information and launched an investigation. Two police teams carried out a preliminary inspection of the crime scene and recorded statements of local residents.

Police officials said a forensic team and dog squad were expected to visit the site to assist in further investigation. While no special investigation team has been formed, two teams under the supervision of the Inspector-in-Charge of Ghasipura police station are probing the case.

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Further investigation was underway at the time of reporting, police sources said.