Silver idol worth ₹20 lakh stolen from mutt in Chitradurga: Cops

A ₹20 lakh silver idol of Sri Jagadguru Murugharajendra Mutt (SJM) pontiff, Shiva Murthy Sharana has been stolen from SJM Bruhanmutt in Chitradurga, a police officer said on Thursday.

The officer said the silver idol was stolen on Wednesday from the in the durbar hall of the mutt. The CCTV footages have revealed that the cameras in the hall have been switched off since June 26.

Basavaprabhushree of Viraktamath in Davangere said that a complaint had been filed with the police by management board member, Basavakumarshree.

Basavakumarshree said: “Basavaprabhushree informed us about the theft of Murugha Sharana’s silver idol on Wednesday. We immediately notified the chairman of the board of management of the mutt, Shivayogi Kalasad, a retired IAS officer. We have conducted an internal investigation as instructed by Kalasad, but no clues have been found about the silver idol so far. This afternoon (Thursday), we filed a complaint at the Chitradurga rural police station.”

Chitradurga rural police inspector N Mudduraja said: “Based on the complaint filed by Basavakumarshree, we registered a case under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) 305 (theft) and launched an investigation. We pressed sniffer dogs and fingerprint experts into service and gathered information. It seems that the theft was conducted by known people of the mutt as they switched off the CCTV. The investigation is ongoing.”

This occurs while the mutt is in the headlines due to reports about mutt seer, Shiva Murthy Sharana allegedly sexually abusing children. Sharana was sent to jail after two minor girls filed the Pocso case against him.

On April 23, the Supreme Court ordered the cancellation of his bail and sent him to judicial custody for four months. The apex court also suggested that the trial of the victim children be conducted in a special court. If the investigation is not completed within four months, the period of detention of the pontiff can be extended for another two months.

The state government has also appointed a management committee to oversee the SJM mutt’s affairs, under the leadership of a retired IAS officer..