Jewellery worth Rs 9.25 lakh stolen from Polamamba temple in Vizag

Unidentified miscreants broke open and burgled the Karakachettu Polamamba Temple at Pedda Waltair in Vizag. The incident came to light in the early hours of Sunday.

Speaking to Yo! Vizag, Visakhapatam Assistant Commissioner of Police (CCS), Sravan Kumar, informed that the burglars decamped with 35 tulas gold ornaments, including the golden crown of the deity, and four kg silver, all worth Rs 9.25 lakh. Sharing further details, Mr Kumar said, “There were as many as 17 CCTV cameras in the temple. But the burglars took away the Digital Video Recorder (DVR) of the cameras. We have deployed special teams to carry out the investigation and nab the accused.”

According to sources, the miscreants allegedly gained access to the temple through the backdoor. They entered the sanctum sanctorum and fled with the gold and silver ornaments of the temple. At 5 AM, on Sunday morning, the temple authorities reportedly detected the burglary and informed the police. The cops inspected the spot with the CLUES team and a dog squad. Reportedly, the keys to the almirah, where the jewellery was kept, were hanging on the wall, making it easy for the miscreants to remove the ornaments. The collection box was found broken and a few coins were spotted on the floor.

Sources said that the watchman informed the police that a few persons came to the temple on Saturday night and asked him whether they could sleep in the temple premises. When he refused, they had allegedly left the spot. 

Considered to be the reigning deity of Waltair, Polamamba is believed to be netted by fishermen almost 600 years ago. Though the origins of the idol are unknown, the features of the statue suggest that it could have belonged to a temple dating back to the Chalukya-Chola period in the twelfth century. Every year after Sankranti, a 12-day Jatara will be held at Polamamba Temple in Vizag,  which attracts more than a million devotees.