Pics: Dayanand Kukkaje
Daijiworld Media Network – Mangalore (SP)
Mangalore, July 16: Thieves broke into Veera Bharathi Vyayama Shala (Gymnasium), Bengre in the city on the night of Thursday July 15 and decamped with jewellery, valuables and donation box, worth around Rs. 1.5 lac.
The Vyayama Shala also houses a temple of Lord Hanuman, in which a four-foot stone idol of Lord Hanuman was consecrated in the year 1926. The doors of the building used to be kept open in the past, but recently, the concerned had started locking the main door, taking cue from a series of thefts taking place in the city.
The thieves broke open the lock of the main door as well as that of the sanctum sanctorum, and took away gold ornaments found on the idol, two silver maces, donation box, silver coin believed to be belonging to Lord Rama’s period, etc. The theft came to light, when the priest came to the gymnasium to switch on the morning Suprabhatam CD at around 4.30 am on Friday July 16. He immediately alerted president of the Vyayama Shala, Ramesh Bengre.
Based on a complaint filed with them, the personnel of Panambur police station visited the spot and registered a complaint. Investigations are on.