Jaipur: Idols, silver ornaments stolen from Jain temple, one held

JAIPUR: The Ramganj police arrested a thief who had allegedly stolen antiqued idols and silver ornaments from a Jain temple located near Haldiyon Ka Rasta on Sunday.
The police identified the accused as Shehzada Salim alias Dadda. “We have recovered one stolen idol from him, remaining other idols and ornaments will soon be found,” said ACP (Ramganj) Sunil Prasad Sharma, adding that the accused have multiple cases against him at Brahmpuri and Galta Gate police stations.
Sharma said that local police teams were searching for suspects in nearby areas when they found a clue about the accused and detained him for questioning. He was arrested late on Sunday night.
The authorities of the Jain temple claimed that some of the stolen idols were nearly 300 years old, and made of ashtadhatu (octal metal). “When we came to the temple for morning puja, we found that locks were broken while several of the idols were missing,” said one of the administrators of the temple, Rajiv Tholiya.
He claimed that one of the stolen idols was found during the excavation and placed here in 2011 for devotees. Besides idols, silver ornaments of about 4.5 kg were also stolen the same night.
Ramganj police suspect that the accused used screwdrivers to break locks of cabins behind which idols were kept. The temple is located in the Ucha Kuan area of Haldiyon Ka Rasta. The narrow lanes of the area usually keep buzzing late at night. Yet, no local reported any suspicious activity.
A devotee, Rajendra Jain, told TOI that the Jain temple is nearly 100 years old. “The temple here is also known locally as Ladi Bai temple,” he said.
According to Sharma, a similar theft was reported from another temple located in the same area where a bronze statue was stolen. The police suspect that the arrested accused may have been involved in both thefts.
“The accused is a resident of the Galta Gate area. He has been arrested in the past too. Prima facie it appears that he alone broke into the Jain temple. But we are interrogating him to find out if other suspects had accompanied him in the theft,” an official said.
Till late night, the city police were making efforts to recover all idols stolen by the accused.