Coimbatore: Unidentified persons have stolen three idols worth more than 1 lakh from a temple at Chinnavedampatti near Saravanampatti.
When one of the priests visited the temple on Saturday morning, he found that front door lock was broken open and the idols, which were kept inside the premises, were missing.
The temple, police said, was considered as family deity temple by more than 300 families in Chinnamettupalayam region. The preliminary investigation revealed that the idols, which were the ancestral property, were being maintained by a group of people. Police said they suspect previous enmity or some sort of disputes between the people.
According to them, of the three idols, two of them were panchaloha idols of goddess with one measuring 1.5ft tall and another 2ft tall.
Based on a complaint lodged by temple authorities, the Saravanampatti police have registered a case under Sections 457 (trespassing in order to commit offence) and 387 (putting person in fear of grievous threat or death) of the Indian Penal Code and launched a probe.
According to an investigation official, both the antiquity of the idols and the timing of the crime were yet to be ascertained.
Fingerprint experts have, meanwhile, lifted two fingerprints from the crime scene. Though a dog squad was pressed into service, this couldn’t make any headway. The police have collected footage from CCTV cameras installed in and around the temple.