Hindu shrine in Bihar broken into as thieves steal Ashtadhatu idols of Mata Sita and Lakshmana
Patna, Bihar, India 
12 May, 2026
Case Summary
The Hindu shrine of Thakurbari in Ankuri village, Paliganj police station area, Patna district, Bihar, was broken into on the night of 13 April 2026 when thieves cut through the main pond of the shrine and stole two consecrated Ashtadhatu [a sacred alloy of eight metals revered in Hindu tradition] idols of Mata Sita [the divine consort of Bhagwan Ram, revered in Hinduism as the embodiment of purity, devotion, and feminine strength] and Bhagwan Lakshmana [the devoted younger brother of Bhagwan Ram, revered as the embodiment of loyalty, duty, and selfless service]. The thieves left behind the idol of Bhagwan Ram. Both stolen idols had been installed in the Thakurbari for several years and had been the object of the local Hindu community's daily devotional worship. As per details, the thieves had reportedly been eyeing the valuable Ashtadhatu idols for some time before the theft. On the night of 13 April 2026 they cut through the main pond of the Thakurbari and removed the idols of Mata Sita and Lakshmana while leaving the idol of Bhagwan Ram in place. The theft was discovered and reported to Paliganj police station. Approximately one month after the incident, on the evening of 16 May 2026, villagers spotted the Ashtadhatu idol of Mata Sita in an abandoned condition in a pond channel in the same village and informed police. A police team immediately reached the scene and recovered the idol. The idol of Bhagwan Lakshmana remained missing at the time of publication. Paliganj police station in-charge Suman Kumar confirmed that the search for the second idol was ongoing alongside efforts to identify and arrest the perpetrators. No arrests were confirmed and the identity of the thieves remained unestablished at the time of publication.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This incident involving the looting of a Hindu temple could potentially be categorised as a religiously motivated hate crime. Given the central significance of Temples in Hindu Dharma, any attack, vandalism, or loot against a Hindu Temple or its peripheral premises is an attack on the faith itself and is born out of animosity towards the faith, of which the temple is a central tenet. Any sort of attack against a Temple and/or its premises would therefore be considered a religiously motivated hate crime. In many cases, non-Hindus, driven by religious animosity, have been found to loot or attack Hindu temples. However, in this particular case, no explicit evidence currently indicates a religious motive behind the crime. Therefore, it has been placed under the “Undecided” database. If any further information arises suggesting that the incident was motivated by religious hostility, it will be reclassified and added to the Hate Crime Database of the Hinduphobia Tracker.
Case Status
Complaint filed
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Unknown
Perpetrators Range
Unknown
Perpetrators Gender
unknown
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