Daijiworld Media Network - Karkala (SP)

Karkala, Jan 5: Three persons accused of stealing idols from Adinatha Swamy Teerthakara Basadi at Hiriyangady have been held guilty after holding trial. A release from the town police station here stated that the chief civil judge here has sentenced the convicts.

S B Vijayanand, Nasrulla Khan alias Nasru alias Kuldi Mijan alias Munna and Parashuram Kattare alias Parashu were the accused persons in the case.

The accused were charged with breaking into Sri Adinatha Swamy Teerthankara Basadi by breaking the lock of its door, and stealing the ancient Panchaloha idol of Adinatha Swamy and also the pedestal on which it was installed. The idol had been sold to Narasinga Joshi thereafter.

Police sub-inspector of the police station here, S Ravi, and circle inspector, Puttaswamy Gowda, had conducted investigation, arrested the accused, and registered case against them.

Judge of the chief judge and JMFC court here, Poornima N Pai, in a judgment, held the first and third accused as guilty of charges. She however, released them under Probation of Offenders Act, duly prescribing a period of two years as probationary period, during which period they will be under police supervision for good conduct. The second and fourth accused in the case had died during the pendency of the suit.

Assistant public prosecutor, Shobha Mahadev Naik, had represented the prosecution in this case.