Temple robbed in Visakhapatnam, ornaments worth Rs 10L lost

A temple was robbed in Visakhapatnam on 12 August 2024, when unidentified individuals broke into the Madhava Swamy Temple in Madhavadhara and made off with gold and silver ornaments valued at approximately Rs 10 lakh. The incident, which occurred on Monday night, was discovered early Tuesday morning when the temple priest arrived and found the doors broken and the valuables missing.

The priest immediately reported the theft to the Kancharapalem police, detailing that the stolen items included around 60 grams (approximately 5 tola) of gold ornaments, 3 kilograms of silver, and other valuable items. The burglars also damaged four doors and destroyed the CCTV footage in an apparent attempt to cover their tracks.

West Crime CI M Srinivas Rao confirmed the incident, stating that the total value of the stolen items is estimated at Rs 10 lakh. The police have registered a case and have launched an investigation into the burglary.

DCP (Crime Wing) P Venkata Ratnam, along with a team of officers, visited the temple to inspect the scene. Preliminary investigations suggest that the burglars gained entry by breaking the locks on the temple doors. The Visakhapatnam police are now working to gather additional evidence and identify the culprits responsible for the temple being robbed.