15 held for stealing 1000-kg granite Nandi idol from temple in AP
Rajamahendravaram (AP), Feb 2: Fifteen people were arrested Saturday in connection with the recent theft of a 1000-kg 'Nandi' idol from an ancient Shiva temple in East Godavari district in Andhra Pradesh, police said.
A special police team arrested the 15 after investigations into the theft of the granite idol from the 400-year old Agastheswara Swamy temple in Ramachandrapuram on the night of January 24.
The culprits had stolen the granite idol believing rumours that diamonds were in it.
They had taken the idol to the banks of a canal in the district and dismantled it, but found no precious stones.
It was suspected that more people were involved in the theft, Circle Inspector Siva Ganesh said.
"We formed teams and launched a through inquiry. We collected information from locals and obtained clues that led to the arrest of the 15 people," he said.
The theft of such a heavy idol had sent shock waves among the devotees.
Temple officials, who lodged the complaint with police, had suspected involvement of a large number of people in the crime, saying it could not have been moved by a few.
The temple did not have a closed circuit TV system, police said adding further investigation was on to find out how the gang had carried away the idol.
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Dharwad: Tibetan monk found murdered; body suspected to have been dumped
Dharwad: A 39-year-old Tibetan monk was found murdered on the outskirts of Dharwad, with police suspecting that the body was dumped to mislead investigators, Asianet News reported.
The deceased has been identified as Tashi Dhondup, a resident of Mundgod in Uttara Kannada district. His body was discovered on the afternoon of April 29 along Haliyal Road after passers-by alerted police.
Initially, officers from the Dharwad Rural Police Station suspected a road accident. However, a post-mortem examination later confirmed it was a case of murder.
Police believe Tashi Dhondup may have been killed elsewhere late the previous night, and that his body was later transported and left by the roadside.
Police have intensified the investigation to ascertain the motive and identify those responsible. Teams are analysing CCTV footage from nearby areas and questioning local residents.
Further investigation is underway.
