Karnataka

Treasure hunters dig up temple premises

CHICKBALLAPUR: In a bid to unearth hidden treasure, miscreants dug up the premises of the ancient Sri Lakshminarasimha Swamy temple situated at the secluded Jalara betta on the outskirts of Chickballapur town. The incident, suspected to have taken place on the night of Mahalaya Amavasya on Sunday, came to light only on Wednesday.

Some cowherds noticed that a trench had been dug up on the temple premises and they alerted the police. According to the police, the miscreants had offered puja at the entrance of the temple and at the spot where the trench was made. Vermilion, turmeric powder, lemons and cooked rice were found on the floor at both the places.

A similar attempt had been made at the temple earlier and the police suspect that a group of treasure hunters from Andhra Pradesh could be involved in the incident. The Chickballapur Rural police have registered a case.

In another incident, an attempt was made to vandalise the Ganesh temple situated on the District Hospital premises in Chickballapur town on Tuesday night.

The public, on Wednesday, noticed that the Ganesh idol at the temple had been tampered with and they informed the police.

The police suspect that some miscreants could have committed the act to disturb communal harmony in the town in the wake of recent attacks on churches in the district as well as in other parts of the State. The police have taken preventive steps to ensure that the incident does not create tension.

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