The Koppal police arrested six “treasure hunters” from Tadapatri, Anantapur, and other places in Andhra Pradesh on Saturday night for the destruction of the Brindavana of Vyasaraja Tirtha at Anegondi, near Hampi.
The arrested were identified as T. Bala Narasaiah, 42, Pollari Murali Manohar Reddy, 33, D. Manohar, 27, K. Kummat Keshava, 29, B. Vijaya Kumar, 36, and Sriramulu, 45. Another accused, Srinivas Reddy, 40, is absconding. The police have also seized pickaxes, shovels, spades and other tools used for digging the Brindavana, besides a four-wheeler.
The destruction of the Brindavana of the 16th century saint of the Madhwa tradition had sent shock waves across the country. Devotees rebuilt the structure at the same spot within 24 hours of the incident with help of architects from Mumbai, Vellore, and the Archaeological Survey of India. Superintendent of Police, Koppal, Renuka K. Sukumar, had formed five teams, headed by Deputy Superintendent of Police (Gangavati) B.P. Chandrashekhar to nab the culprits.
“The quick result is the outcome of the hard work we did after the incident came to light on Thursday. The efforts put into the investigation coupled, of course, with technology helped us crack the case quickly,” Ms. Sukumar told The Hindu. The investigation team first analysed thousands of mobile phones active in that area. They then shortlisted around 200 of them that were repeatedly used there for the past few days. They then zeroed in on the numbers of the accused.
As per the information provided by the Superintendent of Police, Bala Narasaiah, a priest at a local temple in Andhra Pradesh, brought the other accused together for the purpose. A story that was told by a senior seer from Penukonda, who is no more now, and retold by his disciples is said to be the inspiration for the crime.
As per the story, Krishnadevaraya, the Vijayanagar Emperor, had great respect for his spiritual teacher and adviser Vyasaraja Tirtha. When the guru passed away, the saint was buried with a lot of diamonds and pearls, said the story.
Bala Narasaiah believed the story and decided to dig the grave of Vyasaraja Tirtha and grab the wealth. He then formed the team.
“Pollari Murali Manohar Reddy prepared the plan and Srinivas Reddy, now absconding, financed it,” Ms. Sukumar said.
In fact, the accused had arrived at Nava Brindavana with some workers on July 14 to execute the plan. The workers, however, refused to dig the grave, saying the spot appeared holy. The accused then decided to do the work themselves.
