Andhra Pradesh DGP Damodar Gautam Sawang on Monday said that crimes reported from different temples across the state were isolated ones and not linked in any way.
He claimed that 12 of the 19 temple attack cases since the Antarvedi Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy temple chariot blaze had been cracked.
“Bounty hunters, criminal elements, people with superstitious beliefs, and others were found involved in crimes at temples in Andhra Pradesh, which registered the lowest such cases in 2020, compared with the past five years,” the DGP said.
“All these are standalone incidents — each one has a different motive. Various other attacks were executed by gangs hunting for treasures supposedly hidden under idols. Therefore, all these incidents have different motives and are completely unrelated,” Sawang added.
The DGP was reacting to allegations that Hindu temples were deliberately…