JOIN USThe Jain community has expressed concern that the burglary may have been instigated by the “Idol” mafia, which they accused of plundering artefacts in Jain temples across the City.
This theory has gained momentum in light of the recent theft of ancient idols from the renowned Jain basadi in Moodabidri. In an official statement, Sajjan Raj Mehta, the chairman of the Jain co-ordination committee, called for the creation of a national information-sharing system of all the ancient idols and artefacts, and said that special measures must be taken to protect them.
Police officers, however, said that in this particular burglary, the idols were not targeted. “The miscreants were likely only after money and gold ornaments,” Kamal Pant said.
According to Kanti Lal, a member of the temple trust, the temple had earlier suffered a robbery five years ago, after miscreants had broken into the temple’s second floor by
cutting open window railings.