By NAK,
Jammu : A black-stone idol of goddess Kali, worth over Rs one crore in the international market, was stolen from a temple in Chatroo tehsil of Kishtwar district, late on Thursday night.
Official sources told News Agency of Kashmir that unidentified persons broke open the lock of the unguarded temple and stole the idol, last night.
The idol was said to be decades old and the temple has strong following in Kishtwar and its surroundings, reports reaching here revealed.
It was reliably learnt that it is the second time when the same idol has been stolen from the temple. Earlier, the idol was recovered from Anantnag district of Kashmir, after it was stolen from the temple in early nineties.
Panic gripped the entire Chatroo tehsil when the reports of the theft in the temple spread in the area. Senior police officers including SP Kishtwar rushed to the spot to take stock of the situation.
Reports revealed that people from all the communities took to streat and staged a protest demonstration. They were demanding immediate recovery of the idol.
Meanwhile, during the Friday payers, head priest of Jamia Masjid Kishtwar, Farooq Ahmed also condemned the theft and demanded stern action against the culprit. He termed it as an attempt to disturb the communal harmony of the area.
Police said that several police parties have been fanned in the area and its adjoining areas to recover the idol.