Idol Theft Racket Unearthed in Jagatsinghpur Dist; Woman, Her 3 Sons Arrested

Jagatsinghpur: A major idol theft racket was busted by the police in Jagatsinghpur district with the arrest of a woman and her three sons. According to police sources, this gang was involved in the theft of around 50 idols from at least nine temples in Odisha.

The arrested persons are 62-year-old Nirmala Acharya and her three sons – Sarada Acharya, Barada Prasad, Annada Prasad.

Barada and Annada were arrested by the personnel of the Balipatana police station on Sunday for stealing idols from a temple of the area. Sarada and their mother Nirmala were nabbed by Jagatsinghpur police during the continuing investigation.

According to the police investigation, on September 26, the accused had stolen brass utensils, a brass serpent idol and cash from the hundi of Chandrasekhar Mahadev temple and Maa Budhi Basuli temple at the Balipatana village of Khordha district.

During a raid on the home of these temple theft accused persons, police have recovered around 50 stolen idols, lamp stands.

Arrested Sarada during interrogation confessed to have committed multiple thefts at temples in Jagatsinghpur, Khordha, Cuttack, and Puri districts along with his brothers.

They were also involved in nine temple theft and one house burglary case under Jagatsinghpur police station limits.