Chattisgarh native arrested for theft at temple

A man hailing from Chattisgarh, who stole a conch kept near the sanctum sanctorum of the high security Padmanabha swamy temple here, was arrested today, police said.

The 51-year-old Paramanand Soni, who had come to offer worship at the temple, was arrested from a lodge on the basis of CCTV visuals at the shrine, police said.

As soon as the conch was found missing, CCTV footages were examined following which a search was launched for the accused.

There is 24x7 security inside the temple which has been witnessing a heavy rush of pilgrims, especially from north India, following media reports that the shrine has huge collection of gold and other precious jewels stored in its underground vaults.