Gang loots gold, silver jewels, tridents and cash from Vellore temple

VELLORE: Police registered a case and are searching for four unidentified persons who robbed a temple near Vellore of cash, jewels and tridents on Tuesday night.

Police said that four persons who came in two wheelers armed with knives, sickles and crowbars broke open the gates and doors of the Subramaniaswamy Temple at Sathumadurai on the Tiruvaanamalai Road on the outskirts of the town.

They broke open the hundis in Murugan Temple in the complex and looted jewels weighing 10 sovereigns from the deity and tridents. They also broke into the Draudpadi Amman temple in the complex and also removed jewels from the presiding deity.

Locals on hearing the noise rushed to the spot and surrounded the four who then escaped by flinging stones on the crowd and threatening them with their knives. However, a wooden log thrown by the crowd disabled a motorbike due to which the four clambered onto another vehicle and escaped. Vellore taluk police seized the two-wheeler and are trying to identify the owner.