Unidentified burglars climbed atop a 50-foot-high spire of a decrepit temple here and decamped with pieces of gold worth lakhs of rupees, police said here on Saturday.
The pieces of gold were affixed to the temple’s dome, the police said.
Abandoned monastery
The incident took place at a temple situated inside an abandoned monastery at Gulani, a remote village under the jurisdiction of Pakribarawan police station of this central Bihar district, Station House Officer Sanjay Kumar, said.
He said the thieves appeared to be familiar with the topography of the village as well as the temple, said to be “hundreds of years old”, as they sneaked inside in the thick of Friday night taking advantage of the cold, foggy weather and climbed the spire with the help of a rope.
New priest not in
“The monastery’s ‘mahant’ had died some time ago and a priest from Siwan district, who was appointed as his successor, has so far not bothered to turn up and take charge,” the SHO said. Hence, the premises were by and large unmanned, he said.
“We suspect that the villagers have a clue about those involved in the burglary and we are interrogating them and hope to crack the case soon,” he added.
