A priest at Davanagere's Sri Durgambika Temple has been accused of stealing, melting and selling gold jewellery belonging to the deity and devotees. The alleged theft sparked outrage, prompting an emergency trust meeting, while no FIR has been filed yet.
A major controversy has erupted at the renowned Sri Durgambika Temple in Davanagere after allegations surfaced that one of the temple's priests stole and sold gold jewellery belonging to the presiding deity. The temple, regarded as the city's principal place of worship and revered by thousands of devotees, is now at the centre of a high-profile scandal.
According to the allegations, the priest misappropriated gold ornaments adorning the idol, as well as jewellery donated by devotees over the years. The ornaments, reportedly worth lakhs of rupees, were allegedly melted into gold bars and sold. News of the alleged theft spread rapidly across the city, prompting thousands of devotees to gather at the temple premises and demand immediate action.
Priest Allegedly Melted Ornaments into Gold Bars
The accused priest has been identified as Akash. According to the allegations, he stole gold ornaments from the deity and jewellery offered by devotees before melting them into gold bars. The gold was then allegedly sold to a local merchant. The incident has sparked widespread outrage among devotees, many of whom expressed shock that the alleged theft was committed by one of the temple's own priests.
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Temple Trust Holds Emergency Meeting
As tensions escalated, the Sri Durgambika Devi Temple Trust convened an emergency meeting at the temple premises. The meeting was chaired by the trust's Working President and former minister, SS Mallikarjun. During the meeting, the accused priest, Akash, and the local merchant who allegedly purchased the gold were summoned and questioned by the temple management regarding the missing ornaments.
SS Mallikarjun Issues Stern Warning
Addressing those present, SS Mallikarjun issued a stern warning to the accused priest and the merchant. He said the temple maintains a detailed inventory of every gold ornament donated by devotees and offered to the deity.
"We have a precise record of every single piece of gold jewellery donated by devotees. We know exactly how much jewellery the temple possessed and how much is now missing. Every single gram of that gold must be returned," he said.
No FIR Filed Yet; Devotees Demand Action
Despite the seriousness of the allegations and the public outrage, sources said that no First Information Report (FIR) had been registered at the time of reporting. The atmosphere at the temple remains tense, with large numbers of devotees demanding the immediate recovery of the stolen jewellery and strict action against those responsible.
