Police detect four cases of vandalism, theft in temples in Kurnool, West Godavari

In Kurnool, the police arrested 11 persons, including two minor girls, for temple hundi thefts and vandalising shrines in search of treasure trove or to create communal tension. 
In West Godavari district, a case regarding hundi theft was detected and two juveniles were detained.   (Express Illustration | Amit Bandre)
In West Godavari district, a case regarding hundi theft was detected and two juveniles were detained.   (Express Illustration | Amit Bandre)

VIJAYAWADA/KURNOOL: The state police on Wednesday detected three cases of vandalism and thefts in places of worship in Kurnool district and one in West Godavari.

In Kurnool, the police arrested 11 persons, including two minor girls, for temple hundi thefts and vandalising shrines in search of treasure trove or to create communal tension. 

Revealing the details to the media, Kurnool SP K Fakeerappa said in the first case, four persons from Adoni were arrested for allegedly damaging the walls of a place of worship and writing religious texts of other faith on the walls. 

“The four, including a local BJP leader, cut off the power connection to the shrine atop the Ramamandala hill in Adoni town and wrote religious texts of other faith on its walls. During the investigation, we went through the CCTV footage in which two unknown persons were seen cutting the electric wire. They were identified as Ravi Kumar and U Ajay,” the SP said.

During questioning, they told the police that they were incited by two others — N Ramakrishna and V Paramesh — to resort to the act of vandalism, the SP said. Similarly, Nandyal police arrested two minor girls — one from Parnapalli in Bandi Atmakur mandal and another from Chapirevula village in Nandyal mandal — for stealing Rs 35,000 of Hundi amount after breaking the locks in Anjaneya Swamy temple at Gopal Nagar recently.  

Adoni III Town police arrested five persons who were involved in digging and damaging temples for hidden treasures. 

The accused — U Shankar, GV Rama Swami, M Damodar, BG Devendra and K Kodanda Ramudu from the Adoni division — after offering prayers on Mahalaya Amavasya day last month damaged a portion of a place of worship in search of hidden trove. 

In West Godavari district, a case regarding hundi theft was detected and two juveniles were detained. 

A release from the DGP's office said that after the Antarvedi chariot fire, 33 cases were registered related to crimes in the places of worship; 27 of them have been detected and three inter-state gangs were nabbed. 

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