Hindu temple desecrated; sacred Hindu idol worth Rs 51 lakhs stolen from a temple in Bijapur, Karnataka
Bijapur, Karnataka, India 
5 July, 2026
Case Summary
In Vijayapura district, Karnataka, a Hindu temple was broken into, desecrated, and a sacred Hindu idol was stolen by unknown miscreants. A 32-kilogram silver idol of Sri Pavada Basaveshwara, valued at approximately ₹51.20 lakh, was stolen from the sanctum sanctorum of the Sri Pavada Basaveshwara Temple. The theft of the sacred idol from the Hindu temple came to light on Monday morning, 06 July 2026, following which the police registered a case and initiated an investigation. During the intervening night, unknown miscreants broke into the Sri Pavada Basaveshwara Temple by breaking the locks on both entrance doors. After entering the temple premises, they reached the sanctum sanctorum and stole the 32-kilogram silver idol of Sri Pavada Basaveshwara, valued at approximately ₹51.20 lakh, before fleeing the scene. The theft was discovered on Monday morning when the temple authorities and devotees found the locks broken and the sacred silver idol missing from the sanctum sanctorum. The incident caused concern among the local Hindu community owing to the theft of a revered idol from the temple. Following the discovery of the theft, the police were informed. A case was registered against unknown persons, and an investigation was launched to identify the culprits, recover the stolen idol, and ascertain the circumstances surrounding the burglary.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case is being added to the Undecided database because the facts currently available provide no evidence of a religious motive behind the immediate crime. While the offence involved the theft of sacred idols from a Hindu temple, the available information does not establish that the perpetrators targeted the temple out of hostility towards the Hindu faith or its adherents. A Hindu temple is not merely a physical structure but a sacred space where devotees worship and connect with the divine. The consecrated idols of Hindu deities installed within a temple are regarded as the living embodiment of the deities after the ritual of pran pratishtha and form the spiritual centre of temple worship. Together, the temple and its consecrated idols constitute an inseparable sacred ecosystem. The removal and theft of such idols, therefore, go beyond the loss of valuable artefacts; it disrupts the sanctity of the temple and desecrates a place of worship by depriving devotees of the sacred deities that are central to religious rituals and daily worship. In that sense, the theft of the idols resulted in the desecration of the temple's sanctity. However, although Hindu temples are targeted regularly by anti-Hindu perpetrators driven by religious hostility, the facts presently available in this case do not demonstrate that the theft was motivated by religious animosity. Instead, the available evidence indicates that the offence could have been committed with the primary objective of stealing a valuable silver idol for financial gain, suggesting a criminal motive rooted in greed rather than hostility towards the Hindu faith. At present, there is no definitive evidence establishing that this crime was motivated by religious hostility or anti-Hindu bias. Accordingly, this incident is being included in the Undecided database of the Hinduphobia Tracker rather than the hate crime database. If any further evidence emerges demonstrating that the theft was driven by religious animosity or an intent to target the temple because of its Hindu identity, the classification of the case will be reviewed, and it will be moved to the hate crime database.
Case Status
Unknown
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Unknown
Perpetrators Range
Unknown
Perpetrators Gender
unknown
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