Thief haunted by nightmares returns precious idols of Hindu deities stolen from Prayagraj temple

A thief felt compelled to return the idols of Hindu deities he had stolen from a temple in the Indian holy city of Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, after he was constantly haunted by scary dreams besides sudden illnessof his family members. The thief had reportedly stolen the precious ashtadhatu idols of Radha Krishna from the temple located near the famous Gau Ghat ashram under the limits of Nawabganj police station in the trans-Ganga pocket of Prayagraj district. The thief left behind a confession letter in which he revealed that he was compelled to return the idols after scary nightmares.

As per a report in Times of India, local police saidthat the thief asked for forgiveness in the letter.

Nawabganj inspector Anil Kumar Mishra was quoted as saying by TOI, “Mahant Swami Jairam Das Maharaj, the priest of Gau Ghat Ashram temple, had lodged a complaint with Nawabganj police station stating that the precious ashtadhatu idols of Radha Krishna was stolen from the temple on the night of September 23. We registered an FIR against unidentified thieves under the appropriate sections of Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita.”

“Locals on Tuesday evening spotted a man running after leaving a sack outside the ashram road and became doubtful and frightened over the unclaimed sack. When they mustered the courage to open it, they found the stolen idol of Radha Krishna and further informed the priest of the temple as well as the police," the officer added.

In the letter, the thief wrote that he had been suffering from nightmares since the day he stole the idols. He complained that he had not been able to sleep and eat properly and that his son and wife fell ill.

“I am fed up with the scary dreams and am returning your ‘amaanat’ (valuables),” the letter read.

The priest, meanwhile,identified the stolen idols and started performing the "Jalabhishek" ceremony.

(With inputs from agencies)