Udala: Surat Police arrested two persons from Mayurbhanj district Sunday for allegedly stealing a sculpture from a Jain temple at Surat in Gujarat. The accused were identified as Chandan Kumar Mallick, 24, and Trinath Murmu, 16, of Siripur village under this police limit in Mayurbhanj district. As per reports, the accused duo was working as labourers at a Jain temple where renovation was underway under Umra police station limits in Surat.
A sculpture was reportedly stolen from the temple and a written complaint in this regard was registered at Umra police station. During the investigation, police came to know about the accused duo after verifying the CCTV cameras of the temple. As the accused duo absconded from Surat and returned with the sculpture to their native Siripur after the incident, Surat police reached their village and arrested them.
Police faced stiff resistance from Siripur villagers when they went to arrest the duo. Later, with the help of the local police, the accused duo was arrested by the Surat police. After arrest, minor Trinath Murmu was sent to the juvenile home whereas the main accused Chandan Kumar Mallick was taken to Surat for further investigation. As per reports, the stolen sculpture laced with pearls was worth more than Rs 7 lakh.