Mulki: The centuries-old Shri Durga Parameswari temple in Bappanadu here attracts a large number of devotees every day.
It is also regarded as a centre of communal harmony as people of other faiths also have been taking part in the activities at the temple.
As the annual festival was in progress, on Saturday, the chef in charge of food, Rajagopal Rao Pavanje, had kept Rs 40,000 in a room allotted to him, for the purpose of payment of wages to workers under him.
After a short while, the amount was missing from the place. Rao brought the matter to the attention of the managing committee. Initially it was decided to complain to the police. On second thoughts, they offered prayers to the deity in order that the lost amount be retrieved.
On Sunday, they all had a surprise in store. The exact amount was found back in the same place. Maybe out of fear of a curse for stealing money from a temple or troubled by a sense of guilt, the culprit seemed to have returned to the temple to keep the money back from where it was taken away.
The devotees who are regular visitors have felt that their faith in the deity has doubled. It is not known if finally a complaint was filed in the police station in the matter.
