Karkala: In yet another theft targeting Jain Basadi, thieves fled with ‘Panchaloha’ (five metal) idols costing in lakhs of rupees, from Shirlalu Adinathaswami Basadi here.

The thieves who decamped during wee hours of Sunday took away idols of dieties Padmavathi, Bahubali, Adinatha Swamy, bharatha Deva, golden mask, silver ‘prabhavali’ and various other commodities used for worship.

What is shocking is the fact that the domesticated dogs in the Basadi vicinity have been dying mysteriously over the last five days and now the locals have been linking the death of canines to this theft.

Since there were no dogs in the vicinity, the miscreants could execute their theft plan very swiftly, it is said.

The fingerprint experts and dog squad have been pressed into action.

As per sources, the miscreants had worn footwear into the Basadi.

Of late, the instances of theft in Basadis have been on the rise. In 2013, Siddhantha Jaina Basadi here was targeted by burglars who stole away several antique idols, which was estimated to cost in crores of rupees in international market. This was touted to
be the biggest temple heist of the recent times.