Bihar Temple Theft Case: After a 24-hour excavation, priceless idols were found

Bihar Temple Theft Case: Both police officers and the public are shocked by the drastic turn the investigation into the multi-crore heist at the renowned Thawe Durga Temple in Gopalganj, Bihar, has taken.

Under the direction of metal detector beeps, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Gopalganj police carried out a continuous, round-the-clock excavation.

On Monday, two precious Ashtadhatu statues of Goddess Sita and Lord Ram were found underground one after the other.

The significant breakthrough occurred during a second consecutive raid at the home of primary accused Sharif Alam, who was on the run. The residence is in the Arar neighborhood, which is under the Town police station jurisdiction.

Police blocked off the whole area and began a thorough search after receiving specific information that stolen goods had been buried within the building.

Every area of the home, including the rooms, the courtyard, the cowshed, and even adjacent properties, was carefully inspected with the help of a technical team, metal detectors, and a significant police presence.

Police were shocked to find very costly Ashtadhatu statues of Lord Ram and Goddess Sita when the earth was excavated. They also found a number of other strange objects, such as jewelry, soap, a sewing machine, shoes, and aluminum electrical cables.

Police reports claim that the statues were taken from a temple in Chhapra and buried underground, hidden behind paving stones and bricks to obliterate any proof.

Four members of the accused’s family have been taken into custody in relation to the case: his sisters Tabbu and Sabbu, mother Madina Khatun, and wife Shabba Khatun.

All four of the accused are said to have contributed vital information during interrogation, greatly furthering the inquiry.

Under the supervision of female police officers, the accused ladies were brought to Sadar Hospital for a medical checkup. After that, the procedure of bringing them before the court and putting them in prison was started.

Awadhesh Dixit, the superintendent of police of Gopalganj, affirmed that the SIT’s inquiry is under progress.The absconding culprit is believed to still possess a significant amount of the stolen temple decorations, according to Dixit, who also said that other suspicious objects connected to the heist were found during Monday’s dig.

Large portions of Goddess Durga’s umbrella, necklace, and gold crown are still missing, according to police sources.

A combined Special Task Force and Gopalganj police squad has stepped up search efforts in response to new leads in an effort to retrieve the remaining valuables.

Unidentified robbers stormed into the sanctum sanctorum of the Thave Durga Temple on the night of December 17 and 18, stealing gold items valued at crores of rupees.

When the robbery was discovered early on December 19, there was a great deal of indignation across Bihar and the police were under tremendous pressure.

All eyes are now on whether Goddess Durga’s stolen jewelry will be found and if culprit Sharif Alam will be taken into custody shortly.

The Gopalganj police, however, have stated their optimism that this well-known temple theft case would be resolved soon.