Jharkhand temple looted

Ranchi : Criminals early on Monday looted jewellery and assets worth more than Rs 1 crore and the idol of the goddess from a temple in Jamtara district in Jharkhand, police said.

Seven to eight young men broke into the Rani Sati temple on Dumka Road around 1 a.m. "They thrashed me, tied me up and dumped me near a pond nearby," said Pujari Balak, the priest, who was rescued by villagers and police.

While two criminals kept watch at the temple gate, the rest looted the idol and valuables, the priest said.

Angry devotes on Monday blocked the Jamatara-Dumka highway demanding the arrest of the criminals.