Brothers held for temple thefts in three districts

Bhubaneswar/Kendrapada: Three siblings were arrested on Sunday for their alleged involvement in a series of thefts in different temples in Khurda, Cuttack and Jagatsinghpur districts.
The accused were identified as Sarada Prasan Acharya (36), Barada Prasan Acharya (31) and Anada Prasan Acharya (26).
Commissionerate police said Barada and Anada allegedly stole items and cash from donation box of Beleswar and Duladevi temples in Balipatna area on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar in the early hours of Saturday.The three accused were allegedly involved in several burglaries in temples in Jagatsinghpur district, police sources said.
“We have so far found that the brothers were involved in thefts at 12 temples in different districts in the last three months. We will take them on remand for further interrogation. Efforts are on to identify other gang members and receivers,” DCP Pinak Mishra said. Police said the accused were wanted in many cases.
The loot from the two temples in Balipatna area included two silver crowns, a 3-ft high Astadhatu snake idol, a golden moon, two silver umbrellas, a 3-ft high metal snake, a pair of golden eyes of a goddess, a gold chain of a god and some brass articles.