The Indian High Commission in Dhaka has urged the Bangladesh authorities to investigate the theft of a crown gifted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to a Kali temple in Satkhira and take steps to recover it.
"We have seen reports of theft of the crown gifted by PM Modi to Jeshoreshwari Kali Temple (Satkhira) in 2021 during his visit to Bangladesh,” the High Commission said in a statement on Friday.
It expressed concern and also urged the government of Bangladesh to take action against the perpetrators.
According to a Dhaka Tribune report, the incident was reported around 3pm on Thursday.
CCTV footage from the temple shows a young man entering it at 2:49pm. He is seen standing behind the idol and, within moments, hiding the crown and concealing it under his T-shirt.
The man, wearing jeans and a white T-shirt, briefly glanced around before taking the crown but appeared calm and composed.
Locals said that the man seemed well-trained.
Temple priest Dilip Banerjee said he locked up the temple and went home after 2pm.
At about 2:30pm, Rekha Rani, who was in charge of temple maintenance, unlocked the entrance to clean the plates and glasses used for worship.
While carrying some items to a nearby building, she returned to the temple to fetch the remaining items and noticed that the crown from the head of the idol was missing. She immediately informed everyone about the incident.
Shyamnagar police station Officer-in-Charge Fakir Taizur Rahman said the superintendent of police and other senior officers had visited the spot.
He also confirmed that army officials had reached the location and initiated their own investigation.