Daijiworld Media Network - Kasargod (SP)

Kasargod, May 19: Thieves made an attempt to steal valuables from Lord Gopalakrishna temple at Kanipura, Kumble, in the early hours of Thursday May 18.

When the priest of the temple, Madhava Adiga, reached the temple for morning puja on Thursday, he saw that silver sheets covering the first two steps to the sanctum sanctorum of the temple had gone missing. One among the two statues guarding the door of the sanctum sanctorum had fallen down. He also heard some sound from the tower of the temple roof.

Adiga, accompanied by the watchman of the temple, Adur Laxman, went out and saw that a thief was hiding in the copper sheet-covered roof. When a torch light was directed at the roof, he lay down on it. The police were then informed. By the time the police came, the thief left gunny bags containing items stolen on the roof and fled through the rear door of the temple and reaching the highway, it is gathered.

Although Kumble station is located very close to the temple, it is said that there were no police personnel there. So police from the far off Bangra Manjeshwar station had to be arranged, which gave the thief enough time to escape, it is analyzed.

Thereafter, under the guidance of Delampady Balakrishna Tantry, purification puja was performed. Hereditary trustee of the temple, Mayippady Rajendra Rao, and temple executive officer, M T Ramanath Shetty, have filed a complaint with Kumble police. Fingerprint experts from the town went to Kumble and collected evidence. As the temple is not equipped with CCTV cameras, the thieves could not be identified. It is suspected that this would have been the handiwork of a gang of thieves, although only one thief was sighted on the roof.