Stolen head of village deity reappears, police stumped by claims of rival groups

According to officials, locals of MV Kuppam decided to celebrate the festival after holding discussions. But they were preempted by a group, led by a man allegedly involved in sand smuggling, which claimed that a case was pending in court over the ownership of the temple. The man also submitted a petition to the Melpatti police demanding that he should be allowed to conduct the festival. However, police rejected his plea which reportedly led to a stalemate in the issue.

Following the plea in Melpatti police, villagers decided to shift the head of the deity to nearby Adhi Pureeswarar Temple for safe keeping from the rival group. But, they were shocked to find the head missing from the temple two days ago. A review of CCTV footage revealed hooded miscreants making away with the head. Villagers then complained to the Melpatti police of the theft.

Mysteriously, after the complaint, the stolen deity’s head surfaced at the Gangai Amman Temple on Tuesday with the rival group alleging that it was the villagers themselves who took away the head and staged a drama to frame the other group.

“As this is a major annual festival in the region, incidents over the last few days have attracted much attention and hence we feel that conducting the festival in such a vitiated atmosphere can lead to law and order problems,” said a senior government official seeking anonymity.

However, to ensure that the deity’s head does not stage a disappearing act again, locals and policemen are keeping a watchful eye.