Stolen idol of Siddheswari Devalaya recovered

Police recovered some of the stolen items of the Siddheshwari Deyalaya including the idol of Kord Krishna on Saturday evening , two weeks after the temple was looted. The recovery was made on the basis of a confession by one Pratik Kalita and Bapuram Nath, a family member of a guard of the temple, who was nabbed on Friday.

However, the two main idols of the temple, antique idols of Vishnu and Durga, are yet to be found. On the morning of November 24, it was found that the two main idols and other items had been stolen from the centuries-old Siddheswar temple in Kamrup District  .

A source from Sualkuchi Police said, "An idol of Shiva, as well as some of the other stolen items of the temple, were recovered from the backyard of the accused Kalita's residence. He is a family member of one of the guards of the temple. We have taken him for three days of police custody and a search operation to recover the main idols is on." Kalita was picked up by police on Friday.

After several hours of grilling , he confessed to his involvement in the theft. Then he took police sleuths to the spot where the items were hidden. "He had buried the items in the backyard of his residence," the source said.

Since November, thieves have looted at least seven temples across the state. Following the spate of temple thefts, the state home department recently issued an order to district administrations and police stations across the state to prepare a list of religious places which need surveillance.