By NewsGram Staff Writer

In a bid to stop the repeated incidents of idol thefts, the Karnataka Muzrai Department (Religious Endowment Department) has decided to hire armed men to provide security to some of the prominent temples.

According to a media report, all A-Category temples that fetch more than one crore annual revenue will be provided with armed security.

The last few months have seen several incidents of idol thefts. Three people were arrested last May for the robbery of 700-year-old idols of Chennakeshavaswamy and Sridevi belonging to Hoysala era from the temple of Chennakeshavaswamy at Nellur village, Hassan district.

In March, eleven panchaloha idols, which were around 500 years old, were robbed from Papagni Temple in Chickaballapur.

Karnataka's Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs, T.B. Jayachandra was reported as saying, "Incidents of theft at several temples in recent times have thrown up serious question on the security arrangements at the temple and hurt the sentiments of the people. Hence, government decided to provide armed security for temples."

A senior Muzrai department official has been quoted by Bangalore Mirror, as confirming the floating of tenders to hire security personnel for each of the A-category temples.