Lucknow: An unidentified person made off with the silver crown of a deity, its gold-plated face and cash from the donation box of the 150-year-old Anandi Devi temple in Chowk area of Lucknow, the capital of Uttar Pradesh, the police said on Wednesday. The incident came to light when the priest Atul Awasthi opened the temple in the morning. Immediately after that, he informed the police about the incident which also sparked resentment in the area.
Former deputy chief minister Dinesh Sharma with local legislator Ashutosh Tandon visited the spot and spoke to the police about the progress of investigation. Awasthi said that jewellery and cash worth lakhs of rupees were appropriated from the temple. When the police sifted through the CCTV footage, they saw a man walking off the temple with a bag. The police are trying to find that person. According to deputy commissioner of police Shoivasimpi Channappa, as the shutter of the temple was not broken, the thief may have used the master key to enter the temple, but he could not unlock the inner gate and broke the lock before escaping with the booty.
