Gang of four held in Hyderabad with stolen 13th-century Shivalingam

HYDERABAD: LB Nagar police on September 26 arrested four men and recovered a 13th-century stone Shivalingam allegedly stolen from a temple in Nalgonda district earlier this year.

Police said the gang was caught while attempting to sell the idol for ₹2 crore in the LB Nagar Metro free parking area. The accused had claimed the Shivalingam had magical powers and could bring prosperity to those who installed it. The arrested were identified as Dheeravath Narender, 42, priest of Bangaru Maisamma temple at Kallepally village in Damaracherla mandal of Nalgonda; Monditoka Emmanuel alias Nani, 30, a groundwater surveyor from Rajendranagar, Ranga Reddy district; Pabbajo Brahma Chary, 48, a carpenter from Moula Ali, Medchal district; and Polepally Sudhakar, 32, an RTC driver from Thungathurthy village in Peddavoora mandal, Nalgonda.

Idol stolen from dilapidated temple

The Shivalingam was located on the bank of Bairamvani pond at Bothalapalem village in Damaracherla mandal. Villagers had continued worshipping it despite the temple being in a dilapidated state.

On the night of February 23–24, 2023, the accused allegedly dug up the idol and removed it. Villagers lodged a complaint with Wadapally police the following day. A case was then registered under Section 379 of the Indian Penal Code.

The idol was reportedly hidden in an abandoned house in Bachupally before being moved to Hyderabad.

Motive and background

Police said Narender, the temple priest, was the main conspirator. He roped in his childhood friend Sudhakar and Emmanuel, a temple visitor he had known for five years. Emmanuel then involved Brahma Chary. All four were facing financial difficulties and debts.

They planned to sell the antiquity claiming it was an ancient Shivalingam with mystical powers.

Case registered

Police booked the accused in Cr. No. 1018/2025 at LB Nagar police station under Section 25(1) of the Antiquities and Art Treasures Act and Section 317(5).

The seizure included the Shivalingam and four mobile phones.