CHENNAI, July 17, 2013: Burglars stole valuables from two temples, one in Thiruporur in Kancheepuram district and the other in Chennai, on Monday night.

They took away panchaloha idols from an annex of the 8th century Boothagireeswarar temple dedicated to Lord Shiva in Thiruporur. From another temple in Mogappair, burglars stole silver articles.

Police said the burglars took away panchaloha idols of Lord Boothagireeshwarar, goddess Aravalli Thayar, goddess Amman and Appar from a smaller temple located near the Boothagireeshwarar temple.

Five other panchaloha idols of Lord Krishna, goddesses Radha, Bhama, Rukmani, Lord Anjaneyar and goddess Amman were intact. The theft came to light on Tuesday morning when the temple priest came to offer morning prayers. The priest found the doors of the sanctum sanctorum of the Bajanai temple open at 5am on Tuesday. The Bajanai temple and the Boothagireeshwarar temple are located close to each other. The Boothagireeshwarar temple is in a dilapidated condition and the village heads were planning to renovate the temple.

The priest informed the temple trustee Vijayan, who in turn, informed the Thiruporur police station. The priest had locked the temple door and given the keys to a trustee on Monday night. Police said the idols could fetch more than Rs50 lakh in the international market. Searching for the idols, police pumped out water from 15 wells located in the temple vicinity since idol thieves usually hide the booty in wells till the initial investigations are over.

A senior police officer said it would have taken a big vehicle to take away all the idols, but there was nobody who saw such a vehicle on Monday night in the vicinity. This strengthened police suspicion that the idols might be hidden somewhere in the village. The idols had been discovered by the villagers when they were digging as part of a construction work.

In another theft at East Mogappair, burglars made good with 19kg of silver ornaments from the sanctum sSantorum of Rajeswari temple on Monday. The incident came to light on Tuesday morning when the priest opened the temple. The bureau in which the ornaments were kept was open. The burglars gained entry into the temple breaking open the lock on the back side of the temple. The stolen articles include a 'kireedam' of Lord Perumal and ornaments of Goddess Amman, Lord Vinayagar and Lord Sai Baba.

JJ Nagar police have registered a case.

A police officer said it would have taken a big vehicle to take away all the idols from the temple in Thiruporur, but nobody saw such a vehicle on Monday night. This strengthened police suspicion that the idols might be hidden somewhere in the village.

Source: The Times of India, DT. July 17, 2013.