Even as panic-struck people were making frantic efforts in the city here to get out of their residential buildings when the earthquake struck on Wednesday night, some miscreants while trying to shift nine antique idols hidden at a place to an undisclosed location dropped them near Phirphira Bridge under Balianta police limits.
On being informed by locals, police recovered the idols of lord Radhakrishna worth crores of rupees. The idols, said to be of 400-year-old, were stolen from the Shree Kishore Jew temple in Niali area in Cuttack on May 6. The idols had fallen on the road after the bag tore off while those were being carried by the culprits on a bike minutes after the earthquake.
“It seems that fearing damage to the idols kept at some places due to the earthquake, the thieves shifted those frantically,” said a police officer.The idols were first seen by some locals who came out of their houses soon after the earthquake.Ramakanta Mallick, an eyewitness said, “While we were busy discussing about the sudden earthquake, we heard sounds as if some metal fell on the road. Soon after we rushed to the spot and found nine antique lord Radha Krishna idols kept in a bag lying on the road.”
Another villager said the matter came to light when two bike-borne youths were hurriedly passing the bridge and the idol packed in a hand bag fell on the road. As there were people around, the bikers fled the spot. later, we handed over the idols to the Balianta police, he informed.According to police reports, culprits broke into the Shree Kishore Jew temple at Niali and made away with nine idols which would be 400 years old and weighing around eight kg on the wee hours of May 6 last. Following a complaint lodged by the trustee of the temple, the Niali police had initiated a probe into the matter.
“We have already launched a manhunt operation to nab the culprits,” said Police Commissioner RP Sharma.