₹70 lakh worth ornaments stolen from Venkateswara Swamy temple of Kasibugga

Around ₹70 lakh worth silver and gold ornaments were stolen from Lord Venkateswara Swamy temple of Kasibugga of Srikakulam district in the early hours of Monday (January 12).

According to police, the miscreants also broke the hundi and took away cash and ornaments donated by the devotees. According to police personnel, the temple trustee Mukund Panda and priests noticed that there was a major theft in the temple and informed the senior police officials immediately. Kasibugga Deputy Superintendent of Police Shaik Shahbaz Ahmed, Circle Inspector Ramakrishna visited the temple and inquired about the security arrangements in and around the temple.

They observed that the temple did not have adequate CC cameras to observe the movements of people in the temple premises. The temple caught the attention of the nation two months ago with the stampede on November 1, 2025 when nine persons were killed due to the poor arrangements in the queue line. After the tragic incident, the government stopped darshan in the temple. A few developmental activities have been taken up to ensure a hassle-free darshan for the devotees. However, the lack of proper security has led to major theft in the temple.