A priest in Chennai was arrested for allegedly stealing gold and silver valuables from a home where he conducted daily pujas.
Police arrested 35-year-old Priyadarshan of Villivakkam after a complaint from Aniruddha Knight, a 46-year-old Bharatanatyam artiste living in J.J. Nagar, Mogappair East. Knight had installed idols in a prayer room at his residence and used the space for rituals and teaching students. Priyadarshan had been visiting the house every morning and evening to perform pujas since January.
The theft occurred on the night of July 1. After Priyadarshan completed the rituals and left, Knight discovered the next morning that a gold ornament from a serpent idol was missing and that a locker holding other valuables had been opened.
The stolen items included a Perumal kavacham, gold coins, chains, a sacred thread and other gold ornaments weighing about 34 sovereigns, as well as 4.374 kg of silver puja articles such as plates, a rose-water sprinkler, a silver necklace, a silver serpent idol, silver bars, a kasumalai and bangles. Police said Priyadarshan had taken the items in small quantities over time.
