Source: The Hindu
ORISSA, INDIA, November 16, 2001: Recent temple thefts of precious murthis from the Sri Jagannath Complex in Puri has caused an investigation into the effectiveness of the police force of the state in recovering the stolen property. Quoting the article, “There had been as many as 19 temple thefts in the five years from 1996 to 2000. The police have been able to solve only eight cases.” Similarly, “A total of 33 antique thefts were reported from 1996 to 2000, only five have been solved.” The investigation has also resulted in the suspension of eight Jagannath Temple Police and eight state police. So far the police believe that the culprits are all part of one gang. However, they are not ruling out the possibility that antique smuggling may be part of the scenario. In the meantime, Chief Minister, Mr. Naveen Patnaik, has ordered extra security at the Sri Jagannath temple.