A Salem court in Tamil Nadu has sentenced one Santhosh Das to 10 years imprisonment for stealing precious idols from the Jain Kashi Siddhantha Mandira located in Moodbidri.
The incident took place on July 6, 2013, when the accused stole 15 gold and diamond-studded idols from the shrine in Moodbidri. Also, during the investigation, it emerged that Das had participated in more than 40 other temple thefts.
“I am happy about the verdict. He should get life imprisonment. Because, even after he was out on bail he continued to indulge in many theft cases, irrespective of the religious centres. The government of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka should consider this as a special case, and the accused should be brought to Karnataka. As of now, officials of the police department are citing technical problem. He is a habitual offender, hence, the government should take his crime as a serious offence.” Sri Sri Swasthisri Charukeerthi Bhattaraka Pandithacharayavariya Swamiji of Jain Math, Moodbidri was quoted saying in a report.
The idols were sculpted in the 10th century and were worth crores of rupees. The burglary was reportedly planned and executed as the CCTV cameras of the temple were destroyed by the accused.
The temple housed 52 priceless antiques inside a glass enclosure called Siddhanta Mandira. Investigation revealed that none of the security staff was near the CCTV monitor during the theft.
However, the police were able to get their hands on one CCTV footage when it emerged that only one person wearing a mask entered the room and stole the idols. The accused used a gas cutter to gain entry but surprisingly even with that much noise Das managed to escape successfully with the idols but had left behind the gas cutter and a portable cylinder.
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