Accused in Moodbidiri Jain Temple Idol Burglary Seek Bail

Mangalore, July 19, 2013: Diptimayee Mohanty and Digambar Mohanty, the two accused persons arrested in connection with the theft of 15 precious idols in a Jain Basadi in Moodbidiri, have applied for grant of bail. The application has been filed before the jurisdictional magistrate court on Thursday.

Ms. Diptimayee, a law graduate and wife of prime accused Santosh Das, and her father Digambar were arrested by Mangalore police in Bhubaneswar on Tuesday. The 15 idols were stolen from Siddantha Block in Guru Basadi premises on July 5. Mangalore Police Commissioner Manish Kharbikar has been camping in Bhubaneswar to oversee the tracing of Santosh Das, who is at large. On Thursday the Moodbidri police filed an application before the court seeking custody of Ms. Diptimayee and Mr. Digambar for further investigation in the case. The court has adjourned hearing on the two applications till Friday.

Source: The Hindu, DT. July 19, 2013.