Chatra: In a swift breakthrough, Itkhori police in Chatra district recovered a nearly 100-year-old Ashtadhatu idol stolen from a Jain temple within just two hours of the FIR being registered, arresting one accused.The theft occurred at the Shantinath Digambar Jain Temple in Itkhori. Priest Tarachand Jain, in his complaint, said the incident came to light on the morning of May 20 when he arrived for prayers around 7am and found the idol missing. He had locked the temple after evening worship at around 7pm on May 19.The stolen artifact — a six-inch idol of the 24 Tirthankaras made of Ashtadhatu (an alloy of eight metals) — is estimated to be worth nearly Rs 50 lakh and holds immense religious and cultural significance.Following the FIR, a special team led by Itkhori police station in-charge Abhishek Kumar Singh launched a probe. Acting on intelligence inputs, the police traced the accused within hours.“Within just two hours, based on intelligence inputs and a strong information network, we arrested the accused and recovered the stolen idol,” Chatra SP Animesh Naithany said at a press conference on Thursday.The accused, identified as Sanjeev Singh from the Mayurhand police station area, allegedly confessed to the crime. “He is a habitual drug user and committed the theft under the influence of cannabis,” Naithany said.Based on his disclosure, police recovered the idol and seized the motorcycle used in the crime. The accused was allegedly planning to take the idol to Karol Bagh in Delhi to sell it.
