Patna, April 14: Even gods need a saviour.

Devotees call upon gods and goddesses for protection, but divine forms in crisis have no quarter to turn to in the land of Buddha and Asoka. Criminals purloin historic idols from shrines in the state with amazing ease and neither police nor the administration have been able to check them.

Experts claim that the idols of Hindu deities and Buddhist icons fetch prices so high that almost anyone could be tempted to tread the path of adharma.

On January 18 this year, armed criminals broke into the famous Kali Temple at Sonepur in Saran district and decamped with gold ornaments. When residents of the area tried to apprehend the criminals, they opened fire.

Baidnath Giri, the head priest of the temple, said: “The robbers, in their efforts to escape, shot at the gardener of the compound, Naveen Kumar Bhagat. But Naveen had a narrow escape, as he hid behind a wall.”

This is not the first robbery at the temple. Robbers had raided it a few months ago and decamped with ornaments of the deities.

Robberies in temples are common in Bihar. According to data available at the police headquarters, 56 cases of theft from Hindu temples were lodged in different police stations of the state last year. Cops have also identified Vaishali, Begusarai, Gaya, Saran, Samastipur, Nalanda, Rohtas, Bhagalpur, Sitamarhi and Patna as the hotbed for temple raiders. (See chart)

Sources said Bihar is a fertile hunting ground for idol thieves: Shrines are a dime-a-dozen and many of them house Hindu or Buddhist icons, bedecked with jewellery. In the absence of any security arrangements, the sanctuaries are vulnerable to criminal gangs. Emboldened by the absence of police action, thieves strike these places of worship at will.

On September 12 last year, eight idols, some of which were several centuries old, were stolen from Mahashay Deori in Bhagalpur.

Ardhendu Ghosh, a member of the Ghosh family, which once enjoyed the special privilege of having jalkar zamindari (right over water) of river Ganga from Sultanganj to Pirpainty, said: “The idols were of very high value. My ancestors had installed them more than 300 years ago in the temple of Mahashay Deori. In the international markets these idols cost about Rs 1.5-2 crore each.”

Most of these idols are made of ashtadhatu — an alloy of gold, silver, copper, zinc, lead, tin, iron and mercury.

“Idols made of ashtadhatu are in great demand in the foreign market. So, thieves always target these temples,” said Ashok Prasad, deputy superintendent of police (Sadar), Vaishali district.

Gods of the wrong metal, however, have a terrible fate awaiting them.

“If the thieves find that the idols are made of stone or other metal and not ashtadhatu, they are either abandoned or destroyed. A few days ago, we recovered two idols — stolen from a local temple — abandoned in a mangrove under the jurisdiction of Tisiauta police station in Vaishali district. These statues were made of stone and not precious metals.”

The Gaya police also recovered an idol of Krishna, made of ashtadhatu, from Sherghati area of the district on April 9 and arrested seven persons in this connection.

Gaya senior superintendent of police Vinay Kumar said such incidents were meticulously planned and executed in phases.

In the first phase, the members of the gang fix the target. Then photographs of the idols or antiques are taken. The photographs are supplied to the larger group, which deals with the prospective buyers. When the deal is finalised, another group is involved.

The second group keeps surveillance on the activities of the priest as well as the devotees. After getting clearance from the second group, a third group comes in the picture, which steals the idols from the temple and transports them to the destination. Then comes the role of a fourth group, which keeps the idols till the deal is final and the money is paid. Most of the time, the idols are handed over to the buyers in a day or two. But at times, they have to keep them in their possession for months together.

The predicament of the gods has turned out to be another pawn in the games of politicians.

The theft of six idols from the century-old Raghav temple at Prataptand village under the jurisdiction of Bhagwanpur police station in Vaishali district allowed LJP chief Ram Vilas Paswan to seize the limelight.

The former MP from Hajipur wrote letters to the Prime Minister and the Union home minister demanding a CBI probe into the matter.

Protest by the residents of the area set the police bustling and they claimed to have made a significant breakthrough when they arrested six persons in the case. The arrested persons were identified as Sattan Sahni, America Sahni, Sokil Sahni, Nandlal Sahni, Pintu alias Gorka and Deonath Mahto.

None of the stolen idols were, however, recovered.

The frequent theft of idols has also ruffled the feathers of temple authorities in the state. Acharya Kishore Kunal, chairman, Bihar Religious Trust, told The Telegraph: “The government should look into the matter seriously and evolve a mechanism to provide security to the temples. Nahi to hum log aapni dharohar ko kho denge (Else, we will lose our heritage).”

The retired IPS officer of Gujarat cadre added: “A well-organised racket of antique thieves is thriving in the state.”

Senior police officers accepted that such a racket is active in the state.

Additional director-general of police (headquarters) Ravinder Kumar said: “Since theft of antiques is a professional crime and limited number of gangs are involved, the SPs of the districts, from where such incidents have been reported, have been asked to update the records of active gangs and apprehend their members. Interrogation of the arrested criminals would also help the police ascertain the identity of the absconding members of the gang. The recent recovery of stolen idols from Gaya and Vaishali districts is the result of Senior police officers also feel that prevention is the best cure. “Superintendents of police have been asked to make special security arrangements for temples that have precious idols of gods and goddesses. Temple trusts and managements have also been requested to arrange for their security. Services of the guards and other village-level committees could be taken for the security of temples,” said Ravinder.

Sources in the state police headquarters, however had a slightly different story to tell.

A senior police officer told The Telegraph: “A separate cell — under the economic offences wing — deals with thefts of idols and antiques. But it is ill-equipped to deal with professional gangs.”

The quandary of the gods in the state is reminiscent of mythological tales in which all-powerful demon kings and princes like Mahisasur or Indrajeet defeated them in battle, imprisoned them or sent them scurrying from the heavens. There is, however, a slight glimmer of hope. Stolen from temples, smuggled and sold off, or damaged and abandoned, idols that are lucky to be recovered by the police have found a new home: police stations. As the gods wait to be returned to temples, the personnel of these police stations often take it upon themselves to worship them.

For example, antique idols of Lord Varun and Hanuman worth Rs 3 crore in the international market are lying in Krishnagarh police station in Bhojpur district for the past 17 years. Reason: nobody is ready to furnish bail bonds in the court. The court has sought surety of Rs 42 lakh for the release of the idols, which were stolen from Bari Devi temple near Gundi village in April 1994. The culprits were arrested and idols recovered in 1996.

“According to the law, once recovered, the idols become government’s property. Till the claimants furnish the bail bond, the idols can not be released,” said a police officer posted at the police station.

But it is obviously difficult for the gods to answer prayers of their devotees from police stations and the irony of the situation would be well appreciated by at least one person: Ram Vilas Paswan. During the Assembly elections in 2010, he took a pot shot at the government: “When gods are not safe in Bihar, how can people be?”

The LJP now has only one member in the Assembly. It seems that the gods are too busy to save their backs than listen to Paswan’s prayers.