"Missing" paintings inside job, says police

They were found at a spot which was searched several times. According to police inspector, Dilip Patil of crime branch (Unit-II), “It is certainly an insider’s handiwork. The police investigations must have scared him forcing him to replace the curtains to avoid arrest.”

The curtains were normally used to adorn the backdrop of the idols or drape the deities on festive occasions.

Produced of silk cloth with gold embroidery work and studded with precious stones, the curtains are said to be a century old.

In November 1997, the curtains were reported stolen and a complaint was lodged at the V P Road police station. However, when until January the police failed to make any headway, a delegation of prominent residents ofthe area met Joint Commissioner of Police (crime) Ranjit Singh Sharma, who assigned the matter to the Unit-II of the crime branch.

Even as the crime branch sleuths were closing in on the culprits. Dilip Patil suspects the offender to be `an insider and a person of clout within the mandir’ and expects to nab him in a couple of days.

Mohatta Mandir is regarded as one of the oldest temples in the city with a history of at least two centuries and containing invaluable heritage materials.