400-years-old precious idols found missing in UP temple; priest booked

Four idols, almost 400-years-old, have gone missing from the Shri Ram temple. FIR filed against priest and wife.

Agra: Four idols, almost 400-years-old, have gone missing from the Shri Ram temple located in Jatpura locality of Agra. The temple management committee has filed an FIR against the temple priest and his wife for theft.

Ramdas Katara, manager of the temple committee, said the temple was built by Raja Todarmal, a minister at Emperor Akbar’s court, during the Mughal period.

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The idols, made of precious metals and stones, were placed and consecrated at the temple around 400 years back, he added.

As per the complaint filed, the temple priest and his wife started misbehaving with locals when asked about the missing idols.

“They threatened the committee members and claimed ownership of the temple. The priest is backed by a group of men who are trying to grab the temple’s land,” Katara alleged.

ACP Girish Kumar Singh said, “On the basis of a complaint received from the temple committee, an FIR has been registered against priest Acharya Deepmani Shukla and his wife under IPC sections 379 (theft), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace), and 506 (criminal intimidation). We are trying to find the idols.”

Meanwhile, Shukla refuted the allegations and said that this was a conspiracy against him.