Kakinada: Police crack Nandi idol theft case, arrest two

Kakinada: The East Godavari district police cracked the theft case of Nandi idol from sacred Golinageswara Swamy Temple at Bikkavolu on August 6 and arrested two persons in this connection.

Chukkapatla Prasad and Kunchala Venkatesh besides seizing a vehicle Two other accused G Bhaskar Reddy and Ravi Pantuluare are absconding.

Addressing the media, District Superintendent of Police M Ravindranath Babu said that based on the complaint lodged by the Archaeology department, they started an investigation on August 7 to catch the culprits. He said that accused Prasad is an MCA and Bhaskara Reddy an MBA.

The interrogation unfolded the criminal mind of the gang members. He said that the gang members were in the belief that antique idols in temples had diamonds hidden in them.

The SP said that a special team was formed to nab the culprits. He said that the culprits came in a car and left the car from the backside of the Golingeswara temple on the night of August 6. And they scaled the temple wall and picked the Nandi idol and took it in the car.On the way to G Mamidada, they broke the idol hoping to find the diamonds within the idol. They were surprised and shocked to find nothing inside the Nandi idol. Later, they broke the Nandi idol into pieces but found nothing in it. They threw the stones in the bushes along the road and fled the scene. After investigation, the police took broken pieces of the Nandi idol and kept them under their custody.

SP Ravindranath Babu appreciated the efforts of Ramachandrapuram DSP D Balachandra Reddy, Anaparthy Circle Inspector NV Bhaskar Rao, Sub-Inspectors P Vasu, Ravi Kumar and P Uma Maheswar Rao and other police personnel in nabbing the culprits.