Telangana: Theft in Basar Saraswati temple stuns devotees and officials

Unidentified miscreants stole a silver crown and a hundial from a sub-temple at the ancient Sri Gnana Saraswathi Devasthanam in Basar, Nirmal district, late Monday night. The theft, discovered on Tuesday morning, has raised serious concerns among devotees.

Nirmal: Unidentified miscreants decamped with a silver crown and a hundial from a sub-temple at the ancient Sri Gnana Saraswathi Devasthanam of Basar on Monday night. The incident came to light early Tuesday morning, shocking devotees and exposing glaring security lapses.

Police said that two intruders stole the silver crown weighing a kilogram that adorned the presiding deity before lifting a hundial at Mahankali temple located on a floor above the Saraswathi temple.

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They broke open the shrine’s gate and dumped the hundial at another sub-temple after collecting loose coins from it. They masked their faces with hand-kerchiefs.

Temple priests realized the theft after they went to the temple to perform morning prayers. Based on a complaint police launched a probe. A special team was formed and investigators were examining the CCTV footage. Fingerprints of the offenders were gathered.

This is not the first such incident. On August 15, 2024, an unknown person made off with offerings by breaking open a hundial and valuables from an almirah belonging to the ancient temple. Sai Kumar, a 21-year-old from Nizamabad district was arrested for his alleged involvement four days later.

Meanwhile, devotees expressed concern over security lapses at the famous temple of Telangana. They said that there were thefts at regular intervals, reflecting the callous attitude of the officials in safeguarding the temple. They urged officials to step up security to prevent such instances in future.

The only temple of Goddess Saraswathi, draws 20 lakh devotees per annum and generates income of Rs 20 crore.