Kuppam temple desecration case cracked; mentally deranged woman held
She went back to the village the same day and claimed that she killed `Murugan'.
By Newsmeter Network Published on 7 April 2021 8:34 AM GMT
Chittoor: Andhra Pradesh police have cracked the Kuppam temple desecration case and arrested a mentally unstable woman at Gonuguru village in Kuppam.
Identified as Jyothi, she had desecrated the idols at Subramaniam Swamy temple on March 31 under the influence of toddy.
Police said a complaint was filed at the Kuppam Urban police station on Wednesday. District police immediately swung into action and dispatched three special teams to investigate the case.
Police said while following the leads, it was found that Jyothi frequently visited the temple, desecrated the idols on March 31 under the influence of toddy.
SP Chittoor Senthil Kumar said the temple is located at an isolated location and is rarely visited by followers.
"Even the priest visits the temple only once a week. Upon receiving the complaint, we launched the investigation immediately. The temple management, priest, and locals suspected Jyothi. Locals said Jyothi is mentally unstable and frequently visits the temple at odd hours. Upon following this lead, we traced Jyothi. When we questioned her, she said on March 31 after consuming toddy at a local store, she went to the temple and desecrated the idols and subsequently placed them in a ditch 20m away," he said.
Kumar said Jyothi also told the police that she went back to the village the same day and claimed that she killed `Murugan'. "Villagers did not take her seriously given her mental condition. Murugan is how Subramanian Swamy is referred to locally. It was only on April 6 when the priest visited the temple that the matter was reported. We thank everyone who helped us crack the case in 24 hours," he said.
Kumar noted that AP police is doing a lot to spread awareness and protect every place of worship. "We request the citizen to approach us in case they spot something suspicious in their vicinity or anywhere else. Do not fall prey to fake news," he said.
Balu Mahendran, the temple's peace committee chairman thanked the police for solving the case within 24 hours. "We suspected Jyothi. We have seen her spending most of her day at the temple, even at odd hours. Once we started discussing it, we realized that she had even confessed to villagers. We request the citizens to spread awareness and cooperate with the police," he said.
