A major crime occurred in the Vijayapura district of Karnataka: thieves stole a silver statue valued at approximately 51.20 lakh rupees from the sanctuary of the Sri Pavara Basaveshwara temple.
Circumstances of the theft
The thieves entered by breaking the locks on both doors of the temple and fled with the stolen item. The theft was discovered on Monday morning, after which the police registered a case and began an investigation.
Incident Details
According to the news agency PTI, the incident took place during the night of July 5th to 6th in the village of Basrakod, which belongs to the Muddebihal taluk. Police reported that around four o'clock in the morning on Monday, when the priest arrived at the temple, he found the main doors open. Upon inspection, it was visible that both the inner and outer locks had been broken, and the silver statue of Lord Basaveshwara, located in the sanctuary, was missing from its pedestal.
Temple Closing Preparations
According to the complaint filed by the temple committee chairman, Kanandappa Birader, the priest securely locked all the iron doors of the temple, both inside and outside, around nine o'clock in the evening of July 5th after the completion of regular worship services. He then went home, but late at night, the thieves took advantage of the absence of people and struck the empty temple.
Investigation Continues
Police specified that the stolen statue weighed approximately 32 kilograms and had a market value of about 51.20 lakh rupees. The valuable object was placed on a high platform inside the sanctuary. The thieves went directly to this spot and took the statue. Currently, the theft case has been registered at the Muddebihal police station. The police have formed several teams to search for the unknown criminals and are examining CCTV footage in the surrounding areas. Officials stated that efforts are underway to quickly identify and arrest the culprits.
