Idol Theft Racket Busted in Puri, Three Arrested

Puri: Three persons involved in the theft of idols from the Mukteswar temple at Sarvodayanagar area of Puri were arrested by police on Monday.

The arrested persons were identified as the kingpin of the racket Ranjan Kumar Pradhan and his associates Kulamani Pradhan and Jitendra Das. During interrogation, they also revealed the identity of two persons, who bought the stolen idols from them. These two were also arrested.

Speaking to newsmen, Puri Superintendent of Police Pinak Mishra said that on February 12 night, the arrested persons stole the idols of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati as well as the jewellery of the deities from Mukteswar temple located at Sarvodaynagar under the Talbania police station limits.

Police investigation led to the identification of the idol theft gang. The trio was arrested through raids at different places in the district.