Three gold-plated kalasams atop the Vimanam of Sri Viruthagireeswarar temple in Vriddhachalam in Cuddalore district, were stolen on Tuesday.
Police said that around 6 a.m. on Tuesday, local residents and the temple priests noticed iron rods jutting out of the Vimanam of Sri Viruthambigai Amman, and saw that the kalasams atop the Vimanam in the temple precincts were missing. They immediately alerted the police.
Police suspect that unidentified persons might have used a ladder to climb up the wall of the vimanam before removing the kalasams, each weighing nearly 300 kg.
Superintendent of Police S. Sakthi Ganesan, who inspected the crime scene, said the police had a definite lead after perusing the CCTV footage in the temple. “We are on the job to nab the offenders,” he said.
The temple is said to be have been constructed 2,500 years ago, and the consecration was held on February 6.
The Vriddhachalam police are investigating.