Barely five days after the theft of the “iridium-containing” finial atop the Subramanian Swami temple at Chengannur, police claimed on Monday to have cracked the case and have recorded the arrest of five persons. The stolen portion of the finial was found two days after the theft in the wee hours of October 20.
The five persons, whose arrests were recorded on Monday, included Joshi, 48, of Thrissur, an alleged astrologer cum practitioner of black magic; his assistant Ramachandran, 48, of Kozhikode; Anish, 34, of Kodungalloor; Sharat Bhattathiri, 37, of Chengannur and whose family once held ownership rights to the temple; and Renjith. 28. The fifth accused, Renjith, was the chief security guard of the security committee constituted by the locals for protection of the temple and interestingly, was among those who had stood alongside the police, “helping” the probe right from the beginning.
The shocking involvement of Sharat Bhattathiri and Renjith are not the only surprises, according to the police, who told media persons at Chengannur on Monday that another five persons, including the mastermind of the entire theft and a prominent politician in the region would be arrested shortly.
The planning for the theft, which began soon after reports almost three years back that the finial contained costly iridium, was meticulous and even involved one of the masterminds joining sides as petitioner in a case between a family that earlier held ownership rights to the temple and the temple administration committee, so that he could get close to those who decided affairs at the temple. The role played by Renjith in becoming the chief security guard too could be part of the plot that was hatched long ago, police believe.
What defeated the painstaking planning, however, was the failure in shipping the finial out of Chengannur immediately after the theft.
With the police noose tightening on the accused including Sharat and Renjith and a couple of others who are expected to be arrested soon, the pressure is believed to led to one of these persons returning the finial two days after the theft. An accurate chronicle of what happened would be drawn out shortly, police said.
