Padubidri, April 10: Uchila Mahalingeshwara Temple jewel theif has been arrested by Padubidri police force. The missing jewels were worth lakhs of rupees, it is learnt.
Prime accused U Ganesh Bhat was arrested on April 9, Wednesday morning from his sister’s residence at Boluvar in Puttur. Gold ornaments weighing 472 grams and silver ornaments weighing 89 grams have been seized from the accused. Ganesh had changed his mobile number thrice making it difficult for the police to track him down.He has been produced before the court and remanded to judicial custody.
It is informed that, he has confessed to the police that he had given the stolen jewels from the temple to one Nagaraj Bhat for repair and that the latter did not return them. He further said he had still managed to secure a few of the ornaments. Police said only half of the missing jewels have been traced as of now.
A reliable source said that there has been no audit of the temple jewels since 2002, as there is no proper documentation or records regarding the temple jewels, Police are having some problem in registering a case against the accused.
