A woman and her three sons were arrested in Odisha on Monday for allegedly stealing around 50 idols from at least nine temples across the state. The arrested individuals have been identified as Nirmala Acharya (62), and her sons Sarada Acharya, Barada Prasad, and Annada Prasad.
According to police reports, Barada and Annada were initially arrested by Balipatana police on Sunday for their involvement in stealing idols from a temple within its jurisdiction. Sarada and Nirmala were later apprehended by Jagatsinghpur police as the investigation progressed.
The thefts occurred on September 26, when the accused stole brass utensils, a brass serpent idol, and cash from the Chandrasekhar Mahadev temple and Maa Budhi Basuli temple in Balipatana village, Khordha district. Acting on a tip-off, police raided the Acharya brothers’ residence on Saturday and recovered approximately 50 stolen idols, lamp stands, gas cylinders, stoves, and other stolen items buried underground.
Sarada Acharya was arrested during the raid and, upon questioning, admitted to committing multiple thefts in Jagatsinghpur, Khordha, Cuttack, and Puri districts alongside his brothers. Further investigation revealed that the family was involved in nine temple thefts and one house burglary within the Jagatsinghpur police limits.
