Phulbani: In a shocking incident, miscreants broke into the Shree Jagannath temple in Phulbani town late last night, stealing the donation box (Hundi) and three gold ornaments from the forehead of the Trinity.
According to temple management committee , the theft was notice by the chief priest while he was performing the morning rituals. The thieves broke the first door and then the second door to gain access to the inner sanctum. The priest discovered that the hundi was missing, and upon further inspection, found that the gold cheetas attached to the forehead of the Trinities were also stolen.
He immediately informed the temple management committee, which filed a complaint at town police station. The police launched an investigation and recovered the broken and empty hundi behind the temple.
The stolen hundi is estimated to have contained lakhs of rupees, collected during the recent establishment of a new temple of the side deity. The police are reviewing CCTV footage and questioning witnesses to identify the culprits and recover the stolen gold ornaments.
