The idols are believed to be worth several crores.
Three antique idols have been stolen from a temple in Himachal Pradesh's Kullu town early on Tuesday in a heist which is said to be the biggest in the state. The idols are believed to be worth several crores.
The thieves struck in the early hours on Tuesday and stole the idols of Lord Raghunath and Hanuman, both made of 'Ashtadhatu' (a composite of eight metals), a stone statue of Narsingh Shila (covered with gold), one silver Ganesh idol and a pair of Charan Paduka besides ornaments, police said.
The Lord Raghunath idol, the main idol of the temple, was brought from Ayodhya in UP by the then rulers of Kullu in the 17th century.
"The thief must have climbed the roof of the temple, he then removed the slate plates and axed the wooden roof to enter the sanctum sanctorum of the temple while the two security guards were asleep outside in the temple premises," Maheshwar Singh, the chief custodian of the temple, told NDTV.
He has accused the state government of not yielding to the request for security and night patrolling around the temple area. But Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh said his government is trying its best to recover the stolen idol. "We will ensure tight security for the temple premises from now on even if we have to do it against the wishes of the temple management," he said in Dharamsala.
BJP leader and former chief minister Prem Kumar Dhumal, meanwhile, accused the state government of not learning its lessons from the theft at the same temple earlier this year.
The police team was informed at 7.30 am when the priests opened the doors of the sanctum sanctorum. "We have alerted the neighbouring districts and also sealed the exit routes from Kullu. The dog squad and forensic experts have been pressed into service, and we are also examining the CCTV footage," said Surender Verma, SP, Kullu.
The incident has sent shockwaves in the hill state where Lord Raghunath is the most revered deity and is at the centre of attraction during the world famous annual Kullu Dussehra festival.