Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): A woman physiotherapist allegedly stole a silver idol of Goddess Laxmi from a temple in Misrod area of the city and brought it home in a bid to appease the Goddess of wealth. The woman was suffering from financial crisis and assumed that it was all because Laxmi was unhappy with her, revealed police investigations.
According to reports, the idol of Goddess Laxmi was stolen from the temple of Lord Rama opposite to a private hospital on Narmadapuram Road on January 9. An FIR was registered against the unidentified thieves at the Misrod police station on the complaint of general Manager (operations) at a hospital Rajesh Kumar Singh.
The police scanned footage from a CCTV camera at the hospital, which revealed that a woman entered the temple early in the morning and returned after three minutes carrying two boxes while covering her face. The woman then leaves the place in her car.
The police team scanned other CCTV cameras in the vicinity and identified the woman as Monika Chelani, 42, of Sadhna Enclave in Bag Sewania area. Monika was arrested on Sunday and the stolen idol was recovered from her home. The car used in the crime was also seized. The idol is estimated to be worth Rs 60,000, the police officials said.
In-charge at Misrod police station Manishraj Bhadoria said the woman is a physiotherapist. During questioning, she claimed that she was suffering from financial crisis due to irregularities in her profession. She believed that Laxmi Ji was unhappy with her and claimed that she stole her idol and brought it home to appease her, the TI further said.
