4 more Astadhatu Idols stolen from a Puri Temple; Racket suspected

Insight Bureau:  Two days back miscreants had stolen four Astadhatu idol from 500-year old Ishaneswar temple at Srimukundapur area, five more ‘Astadhatu’ idols, gold and silver of deities have been stolen from Gopinath Dev temple at Biranarasinghpur village in Puri district late Friday night.

The miscreants have looted five idols including Kanak Durga, Dalagovinda and Madanmohan idols.

It is pertinent to mention here that Puri Police last Tuesday recovered 10 Astadhatu idols which had been stolen from various temples in the past.

There has been a rise in incidents of thefts of ancient Astadhatu idols in Puri.

The involvement of an international racket is suspected behind the theft.