Imphal (PTI): Ace boxer Mary Kom's husband Onler Karong has sparked a controversy after he expressed dissatisfaction over the looks of a statue of his wife, which was recently erected at a park near here.

Nineteen statues of the state's Olympians, including that of Mary Kom, were recently installed at Manipur Olympic Park.

Onler Karong, in an interview with a local newspaper, claimed that the statue, which was erected at the Park, does not look like his wife, six times World Women's Boxing Champion and 2012 London Olympic bronze medalist.

Neither Onler Karong nor Mary Kom could be contacted despite repeated efforts.

However, while talking to PTI, Kom’s brother Jimmy Kom claimed that the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) assured him that the statue will be replaced before the inauguration of the park, the date of which is yet to be fixed.

When contacted, officials of the CMO told PTI that they will not speak about the issue. "It is his (Onler) personal opinion," Jimmy said.

Jimmy said his sister returned home from a tour and got to know about the development only on Wednesday, he said.

"There is a concern that Onler's statement might be misinterpreted as the statues were installed to honour our state's athletes," Jimmy said.

Two days back, before the matter came to the fore, Chief Minister N Biren Singh had on his official Facebook page said that the Park "is all set for inauguration. Everyone can now witness the statues of our legendary Olympians, the pride of our Nation."

"The Manipur Olympian Park was constructed in honour of our Olympians from Manipur who have brought laurels for the Nation. Not only will this place become a major tourist attraction but also inspire the youths to achieve greater heights in life," Singh had said in a separate post.

Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.



Bengaluru (PTI): A domestic worker has been arrested for allegedly stealing 12.5 kg of silver articles worth around Rs 35 lakh from the house of her employer here, police said on Friday.

Chaitra has been arrested by the Jeevan Bima Nagar Police Station.

She had been working for the past two-and-a-half years at the residence of a surgeon attached to a reputed hospital in the city, Bengaluru City Police Commissioner Seemanth Kumar Singh told reporters.

According to him, the woman is a native of Davangere and allegedly stole silver utensils and Pooja articles from the house in phases.

“The family had stored about 12.5 kg of silver utensils on the upper floor, which were meant to be used only during festivals."

“She allegedly took one item at a time, pledged it to raise money and spent the amount. To avoid suspicion, she continued to work in the same house,” they added.

A few days before Deepavali, the accused reportedly quit her job.

“When the family opened the bag containing the silver utensils as part of festival preparations, they found the items missing and approached the police,” the Commissioner said.

Based on the complaint, a case was registered and an investigation was launched.

“We questioned former employees and during Chaitra’s interrogation, the theft came to light. We have recovered 12.5 kg of silver articles worth approximately Rs 35 lakh from her possession,” he stated.

A case has been registered and further investigation is in progress.

According to police sources, she cited the need for money for her husband’s cancer treatment, police sources said.