Kasaragod: A priest has been arrested for stealing gold jewelry from a temple in Manjeshwar.
The arrested accused has been identified as Deepak Namboodiri. He allegedly stole the gold ornaments of the idol at Sri Mangesh Mahalakshmi Temple and replaced them with fake ones. When inquired, he confessed that he had sold the gold jewelry for Rs. 84,000.
It is learnt Deepak was appointed as the priest of the temple on October 27 and on October 29, Deepak who went to the market, did not return to the temple. His phone too was switched off.
However, when a new priest Sridhar Bhat was appointed, he noticed that Goddess Mahalakshmi’s jewelry was fake and informed the authorities. Soon the authorities suspected that it was Deepak’s doing.
A case has been registered against Deepak.
