SIT to probe theft, DIG announces cash reward of Rs 25,000 for tip-off on thieves
Jamshedpur: A statue of Rani Sati Dadi and ornaments worth Rs 12 lakh were allegedly stolen from Ram Mandir in Kasida, Ghatsila, in the wee hours of Thursday.
Sources said the thieves entered the temple premises by breaking open the locks at the entrance gate. A silver statue of Rani Sati Dadi and various other gold and silver ornaments kept in the main temple building were taken away by them, said Gajanand Agrawal, president of Agrasen Bhavan Sanchalan Samiti.
Members of Marwari community gathered at the temple after the incident and condemned the incident. They took to the streets to demand speedy detection of the theft and recovery of the stolen statue and ornaments. Shops in the subdivision were closed in protest of the incident.
Sources said the thieves committed the daring act notwithstanding the temple�s proximity to the main road.
Ghatsila SDPO Ranvir Singh and the OC of Ghatsila PS Ram Kumar Verma reached the temple and began investigation into the incident. Later, DIG of Kolhan Kuldeep Dwivedi and SSP Anoop Birtharay also visited the temple and monitored the probe.
The DIG said a special investigation team (SIT) was set up to probe into the theft. He announced a cash reward of Rs 25,000 for helping police crack the case.
The temple priest Manoj Kumar and Ramesh Bhardwaj were questioned separately in connection with the theft.
The stolen items included a trishul made of 3 kg silver, a silver umbrella, gold necklace, bangles, kalash and other valuables. Forensic experts and dog squad were called to the place of occurrence to aid investigators.
The temple committee members said a gold necklace offered to the deity had gone traceless some six months ago. But the police were not informed about the incident.
