Gold crown, other jewellery stolen from Thawe temple in Bihar's Gopalganj

Gopalganj/Saran (Bihar), Dec 18 (PTI) Jewellery items were stolen from two Hindu shrines of Bihar, including the revered Thawe temple in Gopalganj district, on Thursday, police said.

CCTV footage showed two masked persons decamping with the gold crown of the idol, weighing around 500 grams, along with a necklace and another ornament from the Thawe temple, dedicated to Goddess Durga, locally known as ‘Thawe wali Mata’.

“A case has been registered and a Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been constituted to probe the Thawe temple theft. We will soon nab the accused,” Gopalganj Superintendent of Police Avdhesh Dixit told PTI.

He said CCTV footage showed the accused using a ladder to scale the temple walls and enter the ‘garbhagriha’ (sanctum sanctorum), where they broke the locks before fleeing with the ornaments.

“It is a matter of concern as the incident took place despite the presence of a police post at the temple. The role of the deployed police personnel is also being examined,” Dixit said, adding that strict action would be taken if any dereliction of duty was found.

In a similar incident reported the same morning, thieves broke into the Dharmnath temple in the Bhagwan Bazar area of neighbouring Saran district and fled with gold jewellery of Goddess Durga and two donation boxes, police said.

Saran Senior Superintendent of Police Kumar Ashish visited the Dharmnath temple following the incident, and interacted with members of the temple management committee.

He ordered a manhunt to nab the accused, according to a statement issued by the district police. PTI PKD NN