East Godavari, Andhra Pradesh: On Saturday, police arrested seven people in connection with the recent one-tonne ''Nandi'' idol theft from an ancient Shiva shrine in East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh. The accused had stolen the idol from the famous Bala Tripura Sundari Sametha Agastheswara Swamy Ramachandrapuram Mandal temple on January 23, believing rumours that diamonds were embedded in it.
The police later recovered the idol in a broken state, around 50 kilometres away from the temple site. Sub Inspector of Ramachnadrapuram S. Lakshmikantam said, "The accused told us that they had heard from some sadhu (priest) about the presence of diamonds in the idol, which is why they stole it. However, they did not find the diamonds."
An FIR has been filed against the accused. They further said it has launched an investigation and are on the lookout for five more people who are allegedly involved in the case.