Devotee steals conch from Padmanabhaswamy Temple, police nabs him with CCTV footage

The temple authorities found the conch missing on Saturday and informed the police Paramanand Soni, 51, who hails from Chhattisgarh, was arrested from a lodge nearby

The police have arrested a Chhattisgarh native for stealing a conch from near the sanctum sanctorum of the Padmanabhaswamy Temple in Thiruvananthapuram. 

The temple authorities found the conch missing on Saturday afternoon and informed the police, who examined the footage from the surveillance cameras and launched a search for the accused. 

Paramanand Soni, 51, who was in the city to offer worship at the temple, was arrested from a lodge nearby on the same night. 

The accused managed to steal the conch despite the high security system in place at the temple, raising questions about its effectiveness.

The Padmanabhaswamy Temple has been witnessing heavy rush in recent months, with pilgrims and tourists coming in from all parts of India, ever since reports of the treasure stored in its underground vaults surfaced.