Three days after theft of an antique idol of Lord Raghunath from Himachal Pradesh’s Kullu town, police Friday claimed to have identified a gang of thieves.
Raids have been conducted to apprehend them, Additional Director General of Police Sanjay Kundu said in a statement.
CCTV footage showed the suspicious movement of three men aged around 25 years after the incident. Two jute ropes used in the crime have also been recovered, he said.
A reward of Rs.10 lakh has been announced by the police for providing clues about the robbers.
The main idol of Lord Raghunath was found missing from the Lord Raghunath temple in Sultanpur in Kullu, about 200 km from here, early Tuesday.
The robbers entered the temple from the roof and took away the idols of Lord Raghunath and Hanuman, both made of ‘ashtadhatu’ (a composite of eight metals), a stone statue of Narsingh Shila (covered with gold), one silver Ganesh idol and a pair of Charan Paduka besides ornaments.
Raja Jagat Singh, the erstwhile ruler of Kullu, obtained the Lord Raghunath idol from Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh and built the temple in the 17th century.
Police called it one of the biggest heists in a religious place in the state.
The Kullu Dussehra, a centuries old festival, is associated with Lord Raghunath, the chief deity.
–IANS