Andhra police solves Kuppam Temple vandalism case, mentally unstable woman held

The Andhra Pradesh Police on Wednesday has claimed to have solved the Kuppam Temple desecration case within 24 hours of receiving the complaint and arrested a mentally unstable woman in Gonuguru village of Chittoor's Kuppam in connection with the incident.

According to the Chittoor police, during the investigation, while following the leads presented by the temple management, temple priest and a few locals, it was revealed that Jyothi, a mentally unstable woman who frequently visited the temple, had allegedly desecrated the idols on March 31, 2021, under the influence of toddy.

On April 6, 2021, a complaint was filed at the Kuppam Urban Police Station over the desecration of idols by unknown miscreants at a Subramam Swamy temple located on a hill in the Gonuguru village of Chittoor's Kuppam Mandal, to which district police immediately sprung into action and dispatched three special teams to investigate the case, said the police.

Speaking to reporters on the case, Senthil Kumar, Chittoor Superintendent of Police (SP) said, "Upon receiving the complaint yesterday, we started an investigation immediately. The temple management, priest and locals voiced their suspicions over a lady who goes by the name Jyothi. The woman is mentally unstable and frequently visited the temple at odd hours according to the locals. Upon following this lead, we traced Jyothi. Subsequently, when we tried asking her if she had anything to do with it, she revealed that on the 31st of March, after consuming toddy at a local store, she went to the temple and desecrated the idol."

He further said that the temple is located at a very isolated location and is rarely visited by followers, unless it is a special occasion, adding that even the priest visits the temple only once a week.

Thanking the police for solving the case within a day, Balu Mahendran, the temple's peace committee chairman, said, "We thank the police for cracking the case within 24 hours. We had doubts on Jyothi as we have seen her spending most of her day at the temple, even at odd hours. Once we started discussing it, we realised that she had even confessed to multiple villagers that she had done this. We request the citizens to co-operate with the police".

Speaking about the Andhra Pradesh Police's awareness programme to protect every place of worship, the SP said, "The Andhra Pradesh Police spreading awareness regarding protection of places of worship. Through the process, we are also ensuring citizen participation to make it more effective. We request the citizens to approach us in case they spot something suspicious in their vicinity or anywhere else and also take an active part in the process of spreading awareness. Do not fall prey to fake news."

( With inputs from ANI )