TIRUNELVELI
Sankarankovil police arrested four persons for allegedly stealing the silver palanquin of Sankaranarayanaswamy Temple in Sankarankoil.
After devotees and political parties claimed that the silver palanquin, weighing about 24 kg, had been missing and staged demonstrations demanding action in this regard, Pon Swaminathan, then Deputy Commissioner of Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department, filed a police complaint.
Even as the investigations were going on, Inspector General of Police (Idol Wing - CID) A.G. Pon Manickavel visited the temple on Wednesday evening along with Superintendent of Police P.Ve. Arunshakthikumar.
Against this backdrop, four persons were arrested in connection with the palanquin theft. They were identified as M. Pattathuraja of Kamaraj Nagar in Sankarankoil, who was a temporary worker in the temple, his associates Tilak Raj, Kalidas, both from Kamaraj Nagar, and goldsmith G. Nagarajan of Mathankovil in Sankarankoil. The police recovered 3 kg of silver from them.
The four accused were produced in a court in Sankarankoil on Thursday, and remanded in judicial custody.
