Theft of Valuables from Shankhapala Subrahmanya Temple
Subrahmanya: Shri Shankhapala Subrahmanya temple in Yenekal village near here in Sullia taluk functions under the jurisdiction of the state department of religious endowments (muzrai).
Hence gold ornaments offered in thanksgiving by devotees are kept in the safe deposit locker of the office. As required by rules, the key-bunch is kept in the custody of Monappa, the Subrahmanya gram panchayat secretary, who holds the charge as supervisor.
To facilitate daily pujas and other rites, Monappa is said to have given the keys in good faith to the temple assistant, Nagaraj.
In accordance with the recent order of the deputy commissioner, the new managing committee was to take over on Monday.
Hence an inventory of the valuables had to prepared and verification was to be made. When Nagaraj was asked for the keys, he told the committee that they had been misplaced. After a search, the key-bunch was found in the Tulsi garden of the temple.
When the locker was opened, 32 gold rings weighing 54.940 gms and a gold chain weighing 9.950 gms, both together valued at Rs 1.90 lakh, were missing.
As the fingers of suspicion were pointing at archak Murali Venkatesh and Nagaraj, Monappa filed a complaint at the Subrahmanya police station.
By the time the police arrived, Murali Venkatesh is said to have gone missing with his wife and children.
The police took Nagaraj into custody and are now pursuing the case, while on the lookout for the archak.