Thief Returns Prayagraj Temple's Ashtadhatu Idol With Apology Letter After Son Falls Ill

An amazing instance has taken place in the holy city of Prayagraj where a thief returned the stolen Ashtadhatu (eight-metal Alloy) idol of Radha Krishn to the temple. And with the idol, he also left an apology letter. 

The idol was intact, and in the letter the thief expressed his remorse and wrote that he is facing nightmares and his son got ill after he stole the Radha Krishn, and he asked for forgiveness in front of the lord as well as the temple authorities. 

Check Out the Viral Post

The caption of the X post was, “The thief wrote a letter. 'Maharaj Ji, ever since I stole the idol, I am facing misfortune'; he packed Radha-Krishna in a sack and left them back. Seven days ago, the thief stole the Ashtadhatu idol from the temple of the ashram located at Gaughat. Hurt by the theft of the idol, the Mahant of the ashram gave up eating and drinking. #जय_श्रीराधेकृष्णा #सनातनधर्म.’

The Apology Letter From Thief

In the apology letter, the thief wrote and said, “Respected Maharaj Ji, I made a grave mistake in my ignorance by stealing the Radha-Krishna idol from Gau Ghat. Since then, I have been haunted by terrible nightmares, and my son has fallen seriously ill. I stole the idol for a small amount of money and tampered with it in hopes of selling it. I deeply regret my actions and am now returning the idol. I humbly beg for your forgiveness and request that you reinstall the idol in the temple. I have altered its appearance, but I hope you can accept it and pardon me and my family.”

Police detained two suspects in this case but still were not able to locate the Radha Krishn idol until this Tuesday, when it was found abandoned near a service road along with the Handia-Kokhraj highway. A passerby saw the Ashtadhatu idol of Radha Krishn and informed the head priest of the temple about this. 

The Finding of the Ashtadhatu Radha-Krishn Idol

The temple officials and the local police quickly reached the location, and they discovered the apology letter written by the thief with the idol. In the letter, the thief confessed that he stole the idol, but he is feeling guilty and facing negative circumstances since then. He said his son fell ill, and he is having nightmares and admitted to selling the idol by tampering with its identity so no one can recognise it. 

After all this, the police returned the idol to the head of the ashram, Falahari Mahant Swami Jayaram Das Maharaj, who conducted all the purification rituals, including the ceremonial bath with holy Ganga water, and then installed the idol into the temple. 

According to the reports, the idol that was stolen was almost 100 years old and has great spiritual significance. It was stolen from Shri Ram-Janki Temple at the Gau Ghat Ashram a week earlier. The lock of the temple was broken, and the idol was stolen.