BY IANS,
Kalady : Robbers have stolen a six-foot tall emerald idol and silver decorations from a temple here in Kerala, leaving the police clueless.
“The temple is situated on the banks of the Periyar river and a stone’s throw from the burial place of Adi Sankaracharya’s mother. The six-foot tall idol of Lord Siva is made of emerald green stone and no one exactly knows the real value of it, but it is certainly a very high-value item,” Superintendent of Police P. Vijayan told IANS here Sunday.
He said police teams have been sent to the neighbouring states to get any clues of the robbery.
The robbery was discovered when the priest opened the temple early Saturday morning.
The silver decorations around the idol and the silver utensils used for prayers were also stolen. Vijayan said cash kept at the Arya Amba Samadhi on the temple complex was also stolen.
“The police are conducting the preliminary investigation and hence no breakthrough has been achieved. But we are confident that we will get you some good news soon,” added Vijayan, who last year solved the Rs.98-million Chellambara bank robbery case.
He said this precious idol was handed over by the King of Nepal to the King of Mysore, who in turn gave it to the Sringeri Mutt in 1910. Then it was installed in the temple at the birthplace of Adi Sankaracharya here.