‘Devaprashnam’ said stolen idol is hidden in a waterbody on temple premises

Following ‘devaprashnam’ held at the Anandawalleshwaram Sri Mahadevar temple, the temple pond was emptied in the presence of the police on Monday as part of the investigations to find the panchaloha idol of Lord Krishna stolen from the temple on Sunday.

The ‘devaprashnam’ said the stolen idol is kept hidden in a waterbody in the temple precincts or in its immediate proximity. On this advice, two wells in the temple precincts were emptied on Sunday in police presence but in vain. On Monday, measures to empty the pond began early in the morning using pumps.

By afternoon, the pond was emptied and a careful search was carried out through the bed but the idol could not be found. City Police Commissioner P. Prakash said the police agreed to the measure “because we want no stone unturned.”

Mr. Prakash said a special team of the city police, comprising 25 personnel, has been constituted to probe the case. The temple anti-theft squad of the Crime Branch CID was also supporting the probe, and was in touch with their counterparts in Tamil Nadu.

He said that since no photograph of the stolen idol was available, a sketch of the idol was prepared by the police under the guidance of the temple authorities. Copies of the sketch had been given to the anti-theft squad in the State and Tamil Nadu.