Burglars loot three temple idols, gold buried underneath | Times of India

CHENNAI: A gang of burglars made away with three idols and goldjewellery buried underneath them at a small temple in Thiruvottiyur late on Friday. They also made away with three stone idols in the process, the police said on Sunday.

“The idols, of three goddesses, 3ft to 5ft in height, and the gold, estimated to be less than a sovereign (8g), went missing from the Angalamman temple Easini Moorthy Street on Friday,” an investigating officer said. “Arthi Sekar, the main temple administrator, discovered the theft and made a complaint.”

The temple administrators placed the gold, given to the temple as offerings by devotees, beneath the idols to concealing it. Police suspect the burglars had planned the theft for some time.

“We suspect that at least one of the culprits knew the administrators because few others were aware that there was gold underneath the idols,” the officer said.

“We are also probing some reported enmity among the locals over control of the temple,” he said.