Jaipur: Unidentified thieves stole gold and silver ornaments from a 400-year-old temple in Keshopura, under Bhankrota police station, Monday night. Police said the priest, Ramswaroop Sharma, discovered the theft around 4.30 am Tuesday when he arrived for morning prayers and found the lock on the main gate broken. Villagers alerted the police control room, and a team reached the site shortly after.CCTV footage from inside the temple showed the miscreants staying there for nearly three hours. Before committing the theft, they were seen sitting inside and closely observing all the items. They eventually made away with idols and cash, abandoning three idols within the premises while escaping.In his complaint, Sharma said he served at the temple for years and that the temple, over 400 years old, houses idols of Radha-Govind Ji and Laddu Gopal Ji weighing 21kg and 4.5kg, respectively. The intruders allegedly stole the idols, ornaments including a gold chain and crown, and jewellery of the goddess, along with Rs 85,000 kept in a cupboard and nearly Rs 2 lakh in the donation box.Local Councillor Ganesh Choudhary, who reached the spot after the theft came to light, said the temple is of great religious significance and draws deep faith from devotees. “This incident has shaken the locals. The culprits even targeted ashtadhatu idols, which are irreplaceable,” he said.Police teams have begun scanning CCTV footage to track the suspects. “We have secured the evidence and a hunt has been launched based on the visuals. The identities of the accused will be established soon,” said a senior officer.
