Vizag Crime Watch - 10 bags of tonsured hair stolen from Simhachalam temple

We have seen heists of different kinds linked to gold, silver, cash and other valuable items. But here at Simhachalam Temple, the abode of Lord Sri Varahalakshmi Nrusimhaswami, in Visakhapatnam, robbers struck on Sunday night to decamp with 10 bags of first and second grade mix of hair.

The temple is one among the many in south India, where devotees tonsure their head to offer their hair to the Lord. The hair is collected, segregated as per the length and quality, stored and sold to exporters through an open auction.

The hair was stored in a storeroom near the Kesh Kandana Sala on the temple premises, and the robbers struck post midnight.

According to the initial investigation, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone –II) Ramgopal Naik, said that the robbery appears to have been committed by someone who knows the inside-out of the storeroom and its operation.

The robbers entered the two-storeyed building from the terrace using a rope. They cut open the grill door in the terrace with the help of a cutter and gained entry into the first floor, where they unscrewed the hinges to gain entry into the room where the particular grade of hair was kept. Leaving aside the other bags that contained normal grade hair, they made good with 10 bags of first grade hair, weighing about 156 kgs.

According to Executive Officer of the Simhachalam Devasthanam K. Ramachandra Mohan, there were about 14 bags containing first and second grade of hair in the room. The robbers took away 10 bags, while two bags were found on the terrace and two were found in the bushes besides the building. “The bags taken way would be worth about Rs. 7 lakh in the open market,” said the EO.

The robbery took place while there were guards posted outside the building. “We have pressed the CLUES team to gather the evidence and are investigating from all angles,” said Dr. Ramgopal Naik.

This was the third time that such a robbery has taken place on the temple premises. It happened once in the late 1990s and again in 2009.

CC TV camera missing

But despite the attempts, the devasthanam management has not installed CC TV cameras at the strategic locations. There are about eight cameras in the tonsuring areas, but most of them do not function and primarily they were installed to check the barbers from collecting extra money from the devotees. “CC TV footage would have helped us in the investigation. But they are not there,” said the DCP.

Daily affair

Every day about 1,200 to 1,500 devotees tonsure their head and on festival days and weekends it goes over 3,000, at the temple. The annual collection at the temple is about 10 to 12 tonnes of human hair and it fetches revenue of over Rs. 5 crore per annum to the devasthanam, through auction The special grade hair are those that are over 20 inches in length and the first and second grade range between 8 to 20 inches, and they have a good price in the export market. It is estimated that one tonne of special grade or first grade of hair may have a value of about Rs. 50 lakh. The major importers of human hair from India are China and Europe, and the annual export in the country crosses Rs. 2,500 crore.

The bags taken way will be worth about Rs. 7 lakh in the open market

K. Ramachandra Mohan

EO, Simhachalam temple

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