The high drama enacted on the swirling river water was witnessed by curious villagers. (Representational)
A suspected idol thief jumped into the Brahmani river in Kendrapara district to dodge the police that arrived at his house in connection with the theft case.
The accused Bharat Mallick who had decamped with idols from Lord Ram temple in Dandisahi under Pattamundai model police station limits was arrested after a two-hour chase on the river on Sunday, a police officer said.
The high drama enacted on the swirling river water was witnessed by curious villagers.
Acting on a tip-off, police raided his house on Sunday and seized the stolen idols and other valuable items.
But Mallick, an expert swimmer, managed to flee from his house and jumped into the river water to evade arrest.
"With the help of locals and fire brigade personnel, we could arrest him after chasing him for about two hours in the river. We used two boats to catch him after surrounding him in the waterbody," said Sandhyarani Behuria, the Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) of Pattamundai.
During interrogation, the accused confessed to have entered the sanctum sanctorum of the temple by breaking open the main door, the police officer claimed.