Idols stolen from temple in Aravalli Biodiversity Park in Delhi

Two metallic statues of the goddesses Saraswati and Kali were allegedly stolen from a temple located in the Aravalli Biodiversity Park near Vasant Kunj in south Delhi on Monday night, police said, adding that the theft was discovered by a resident on Tuesday morning.

Rohit Meena, the deputy commissioner of police (southwest), said that the Vasant Kunj (north) police station received a call at 7.35am about the alleged theft at the temple. “According to the caller, a four-foot-tall image of Saraswati and a one foot tall image of Kali were stolen from the Durga Maa Mandir in the park. Police immediately reached the spot, where the complainant was present. Police found that the temple is located in the forest area. It has no guard or priest taking care of it. Since there is no CCTV camera at the scene, CCTV cameras at the entry and exit points are being checked,” said DCP Meena.

Also read: Jewel thief takes 200 flights in a year to steal from cabin baggage

“Teams have been formed to raid all possible locations where the burglars are supposed to have taken these statues,” he added.

Based on a complaint from Sanjay Kumar, 45, a resident of Vasant Gaon, a case under Section 380 (theft in dwelling house) of the Indian Penal Code was registered at the Vasant Kunj police station.

Kumar said he reached the temple at 7am for his daily prayers and discovered that the images of the goddesses were missing. “My family has worshipped here since my great-grandfather’s time. While Saraswati’s image was made of brass and weighed over 50kg, Kali’s image was made of octa-alloy and weighed around five kilograms,” he claimed, adding that he had seen both images on Monday morning.

An official of the horticulture department of the DDA, which developed this park, said there was no official record of the age of the images. “When we first went there in 2004, both images were present there,” he said on condition of anonymity.

Also read: 'Surya Tilak' illuminates Ram Lalla idol's forehead at Ayodhya Temple on Ram Navami

The DCP said that since it is a biodiversity park where the visiting hours are restricted, there was no need to deploy any personnel there permanently. “During the open hours from 6am to 11am and 4pm to 6.30 pm, police make regular rounds there,” Meena said.

According to the Delhi Development Authority, the Aravalli Biodiversity Park is spread across 277 hectares. Nelson Mandela Marg, NH-8, and Vasant Vihar are located along its perimeter.