Servitors among 6 arrested for theft at famed Odisha temple

Berhampur: Four servitors were among the six persons arrested in connection with the theft of ornaments and cash from the revered Tara Tarini temple in Odisha's Ganjam district, police said on Friday.

Silver ornaments worth Rs 10 lakh were stolen from the temple, a 'Shakta Pith' located on a hilltop in Purushottampur, on November 4. Among the items stolen were the crowns of the deities, a ceremonial umbrella and masks of the deities, according to police.

The accused were identified as Amulya Rana (28), Bikash Rana (20), Rabin Kumar Rana of Gobindapur and Goutam Rana of Pratapur -- all servitors of the temple. The other two are the night watchmen of the temple, Kalia Dash (35) and Balaram Nayak (45) of Raipur.

A cutter machine was seized from Kalia, while some electrical equipment was found with Balaram. A total of Rs 39,000 in cash was recovered from Amulya and Rabin, said SDPO (Purushottampur) Rajani Kanta Samal.

He said the stolen silver ornaments could not be recovered from the accused persons.

"We are trying to recover the silver ornaments of the deities," he added.

Samal said the investigation was continuing to find the other persons involved in the theft.

The accused entered the temple by breaking the locks of the entrance gate. Besides stealing the silver ornaments, they had also taken cash from the 'hundi' or the donation box of the temple, police said.

The matter came to light on the next morning. An investigation was started after the temple's managing committee lodged a police complaint.

CCTV cameras have been installed at the temple following the theft.