Dhenkanal: A man, suspected to be a thief, was found trapped inside a temple in Odisha’s Dhenkanal district after an alleged robbery attempt failed.
The incident reportedly took place at the Baba Swapneswar Temple in Chandpur village under the jurisdiction of Parjang police station in the early hours of Tuesday.
Sources said the man had reportedly enter
ed the Shiva shrine during the night through a narrow gap in the temple door in a bid to steal valuables. However, after gaining entry, he was unable to move out and remained locked inside the temple.
Finding no other way, the man reportedly spent the night inside the shrine. The incident came to light in the morning when temple priest Bhagaban Rana entered the shrine to perform the daily rituals and found the man.
Shocked at the sight, the priest alerted villagers, who subsequently informed the police. A team from Parjang Police Station visited the temple and took the man into custody.
Police are trying to ascertain the identity of the intruder as he reportedly provided different names during questioning and claimed to belong to different places. Investigators are examining whether the man is mentally unstable or was involved in an attempted theft.
Temple authorities and villagers reported that several articles inside the shrine were found scattered. Further investigation is underway.