'Nivedya uruli' stolen from Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple; three arrested in Haryana

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A theft at the highly secure Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple in Thiruvananthapuram has left authorities stunned. A traditional uruli (bronze vessel), used for offerings inside the sanctum sanctorum, was stolen from the temple's sanctum sanctorum on Thursday. Haryana Police have arrested three suspects, including two women. A team led by Fort CI has left for Haryana to bring the accused back to Thiruvananthapuram by Sunday.

According to sources, the arrested man is a doctor from Haryana, who holds Australian citizenship. The incident occurred on Thursday. During the evening count of offering vessels, the temple staff noticed that the uruli had gone missing. Upon checking CCTV footage, they found that the uruli was stolen by a three-member gang. Following this, they immediately informed the police about the matter. Subsequently, the suspects were swiftly nabbed.

The three-member gang had come to the temple for darshan. While roaming around the temple, the man picked up the uruli kept near the thidappalli (offering platform), hid it under his dhoti, and went out of the temple. During the investigation on Friday, it was found that the suspects had reached Uduppi and from there, they took a flight to Haryana.

The Fort Police quickly passed the information about the accused to the Haryana Police. Following this, the three were taken into custody. They told the police that they stole the vessel not for financial gain, but rather to keep it in the prayer room.

The temple, being a highly secure area, has left the police scrambling to explain the theft. Action is likely to be taken against the police personnel who were on duty at the time of the incident.