KATHMANDU: An idol of deity Balkumari that had gone missing from Sunakothi of Lalitpur district some three weeks ago has been found.

Locals have celebrated the retrieval of the antique object.

Metropolitan Police Range Lalitpur’s Chief Senior Superintendent of Police Yagya Binod Pokhrel confirmed that the statue was retrieved from the place near Karuna Temple at Lalitpur Metropolis-15 at 6-00 am Friday. The idol was apparently stolen from the temple on January 22 and police believed that probable accused might have dropped it there out of fear of the arrest.

A woman who had been at the temple to worship this morning saw the idol and reported it to the police. The police marked the handover of the idol in the presence of the Guthi’s representatives at 10-00 am.

Following the handover, the locals took it to Sunakothi to restore amidst music and dances. The two-feet tall bronze statue dates back to the Lichchhavi-era.

Palanchok Bhagawati Temple