A Panchaloha Murugan Idol from Erode, of one-foot height, was stolen by unidentified persons on Friday. The priest, who came to open the Vetri Vinayagar temple for early morning prayers in the morning, was shocked to find that the lock of the temple broken and the Urchavar idol of the Murugan Temple, which was a panchaloha idol, missing. He lodged a complaint with the temple administration at the police station. Police are investigating the case.
This is the second instance of a temple robbery this year. On February 18, 3 idols – Subramaniyar, Valli and Theivanai – were stolen from the Kumara Subramaniya Swami Temple in Kondal village in Sirkazhi, of the Nagapattinam district.
A case was registered and according to police, the theft of the three idols – were stolen. Sirkazhi DSP Vandhana and inspector Manimaran conducted an enquiry, and the forensic department used sniffer dogs to analyse the scene of the crime.
It is now suspected that this could be the same group that stole the Murugan Idol from Erode.