Security headache of idol’s valuables in pandal

CUTTACK: WITH the Durga Puja rituals set to start at the pandals in two days, the members of different committees are concerned about safety of the silver and gold ornaments of the idols and tableaux.
While police would be on duty near the pandals during the puja, the members are apprehensive of security of the valuables after the festival. Normally, they store the valuables in their mandaps after the puja.
Last year, the silver accessories of Goddess Durga of Alisha Bazaar Puja Committee were stolen from the store house on October 21 night. A year later, the police are yet to make any breakthrough into the incident.

As per reports, after completion of Durga Puja, functionaries of the committee had preserved the silver tableaux (Chandi Medha) inside their mandap for using the same in Kali Puja festival.  But, on October 22 morning some puja committee members noticed the lock of the gate broken and silver decorative items, including peacocks, lotus flowers and other accessories from the Chandi Medha missing.
The miscreants had also disconnected the CCTV camera before entering the mandap and cutting about 40 kg of silver items from the medha worth more than `19 lakh.The incident had sent shockwaves in the city as it was for the first time that thieves had targeted a puja mandap in the city.

Acting on a FIR filed by president of the committee Rabi Ranjan Sahu, Lalbag police had registered a case and conducted a spot enquiry but they are still clueless about the miscreants.The inspector-in-charge of Lalbag police station Debadatta Baral said, a native  of Visakhapatnam involved in the loot case was arrested by Andhra Pradesh police which seized stolen silver decorative accessories. Efforts are on to bring him on remand for a detailed investigation, Baral informed.Meanwhile, the committee has designed new items in place of the old ones and the medha is ready for this year’s puja.