Police Recover Stolen Temple Idols, Arrest 3 Persons In Odisha’s Puri

Puri: Police have recovered a precious idols stolen from a temple a few days back and arrested three persons in this connection in Odisha’s Puri.

Speaking to media persons on Monday, Puri SP Pinak Mishra said the idols of Lord Shiva and Devi Parvati, made of precious stones, and jewellery of the deities were stolen from Mukteswar temple in Sarvodaynagar under Talbania police limits in the town on the night of February 12.

During investigation into the case, the police questioned the culprits in similar cases and could know about the persons involved in the theft. On the basis of the information, a police team led by City DSP conducted raids at different places in the district and arrested three persons.

The arrested persons included mastermind Ranjan Kumar Das and his two accomplices Bikah Behera and Sushil Pradhan. The three persons admitted to have committed the crime and revealed the identity of two persons whom they had sold the idols.

The police also recovered the two stolen idols and the jewellery from the two recipients and arrested them.

The SP appealed to management committees of the temples in the district to instal CCTV cameras and appoint security guards to prevent such crime.