Priest beaten, 2 hundis looted from temple

Gold ornaments worth around Rs 2 lakh were stolen from a popular Venkateswara Swamy temple near Gutturu of Penugonda in Anantapur district.

According to reports, the temple was burgled in the wee hours of Sunday by unidentified thieves. The thieves who gained entry into the temple after breaking open its doors, attacked the head priest when he was about to raise an alarm.

They later decamped with Rs 30,000 in cash and two hundis.
The head priest was rushed to a nearby hospital where his condition is slated to be serious. The Penugonda police said that they have registered a case and further investigations into the case are on.