TUMAKURU: Unidentified miscreants who stole two hundis (offering boxes) from a temple in Menasinahalli village of Kunigal taluk, Tumakuru, on Saturday night left them outside it 24 hours later. The intact locks of the hundis indicate no attempt was made to open them, police said.
The theft occurred at Sri Bettada Ranganathaswamy temple and came to light when the priest arrived on Sunday morning. A police complaint was lodged by Manjunath ML, a temple committee member. Other than the hundis, nothing was stolen.
"[The miscreants] smashed the glass panes of the seva booking counter. According to estimates, the two hundis together could be carrying anywhere between Rs 1.5 lakh and Rs 2 lakh," Manjunath's complaint read.
However, to everyone's surprise, the hundis reappeared in front of the main gate of the temple on Monday morning. Again, it was the same priest who noticed the boxes and immediately alerted others. Cops found that the miscreants broke open the iron gate of the temple to gain entry before taking away the hundis placed near the sanctum sanctorum. Fresh tyre marks on the ground indicated that the burglars had arrived in a four-wheeler.
An investigating officer said there has not been any major breakthrough so far. "It looks like the work of at least 2-3 people. It is not easy for one or two persons to carry these boxes. The CCTV at the temple had some technical issues and was not functioning. There are no cameras in the immediate surroundings as well. Still, we are working on some clues and will catch the miscreants soon," he said. Another officer said stealing hundis is nothing new but returning them intact is unheard of.
