Gold ornaments, bronze objects stolen from temple

Burglars decamped with gold ornaments and bronze objects worth around ₹10 lakh from a local Siva temple in Vannivedu village near Walajah town in Ranipet on Tuesday.

The police said that it was around 8 a.m when temple priest K. Manoj, 53, a resident of Walajah, opened the main entrance of the temple and found the locks damaged.

Initial inquiry revealed that Manoj went inside the temple premises and found a lock of sanctum sanctorum where the main deity was placed. Gold ornaments, bronze objects, and cash from hundis were stolen. On being informed, Walajah police inspected the spot. Fingerprint experts and sniffer dogs were also roped in to take clues from the spot.

Instances of theft had occurred in the premises more than 40 times in the past two decades. The police said that the isolated location of the temple and lack of security measures including CCTV cameras in the temple could have been reasons for the theft. A probe is under way.