GUWAHATI: Kamrup Police on Monday recovered one of the two main idols stolen from the historic Siddheswar temple, located at Sualkuchi on the northern bank of the river Brahmaputra.The recovered idol, an idol of Vishnu made of unique metals, was among the things missing when the centuries-old temple was found looted on the morning of November 24.On Saturday, some other items stolen from the temple were recovered following the arrest of one of the alleged miscreants, Phatik Kalita.Police said, "Another member of the gang, Bapuram Das, was nabbed on Sunday. Interrogation revealed that they had hidden the idol somewhere on the bank of the Brahmaputra. On Monday, a search operation was carried out at an area indicated by the culprits. The Vishnu idol was recovered from a jungle near a sluice gate in the area."Das, a weaver, is a relative of Kalita, who was arrested on Saturday.Police added that the culprits have claimed that they have thrown away the other stolen idols in the Brahmaputra. "The state disaster response force was roped in to search the riverside but nothing has been recovered yet," police sources added.Since November, thieves have looted at least seven temples across the state.Following a spate of temple thefts, the state home department recently issued an order to district administrations and police stations across the state to prepare a list of religious places which need surveillance.Police are yet to locate the idol stolen from the city's historic Ugratara temple.The All Assam Devaloy Sangha has demanded that chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal intervene into the matter urgently and order a high-level probe into the matter.

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