Faridpur Correspondent

Police recovered a stolen century-old black stone (Kashtipathar) Kali idol alongside gold and silver ornaments six days after a burglary at the historic Puratan Kalibari Temple in Faridpur town, arresting four suspects involved in the incident.

Faridpur Superintendent of Police (SP) Shahriar Mohammad Miazi provided the details during a press briefing held at the Faridpur District Police Headquarters on Sunday.

According to the case statement and police briefing, temple priest and committee president Kushal Chakraborty locked the temple doors after evening prayers on Thursday night, September 19, 2026. Upon returning early the next morning on Friday, September 20, 2026, he found the locks severed and the temple open. The 20-kilogram black stone Kali idol, valued at approximately Tk 1 crore, had been stolen alongside gold ornaments worth Tk 11.5 lakh, silver ornaments, and six brass idols.

Kushal Chakraborty subsequently filed a case with Kotwali Police Station on Friday, September 20, 2026.

Following the incident, joint operational teams comprising the Additional Superintendent of Police (Sadar Circle), Kotwali Police Station, and the Detective Branch (DB) initiated an investigation utilizing information technology and intelligence tracking. Continuous drives across various parts of Faridpur led to the arrest of four individuals.

The arrested suspects were identified as Asaduzzaman Saddam (38) of Buraich village under Alphadanga Police Station, his mother Sajeda Begum (65), Al Amin Mullah (24) of Kandakul village under Boalmari Police Station, and jeweler Atiar Rahman.

Based on information provided by Sajeda Begum, police recovered stolen gold and silver ornaments along with six brass idols buried underground inside her kitchen. Acting on statements from Asaduzzaman Saddam and Al Amin Mullah, officers conducted a raid behind a residence in the Rupapat area of Boalmari upazila, exhuming the buried black stone Kali idol.

Furthermore, following Saddam's confession, police raided Atiar Rahman's jewelry shop at Boalmari Bazar Gold Market, recovering approximately eight ana of melted gold processed from stolen temple earrings and tiaras.

Police officials noted that Asaduzzaman Saddam faces more than 10 prior cases involving robbery, theft, and idol trafficking, while Al Amin Mullah is named in over eight similar criminal cases.

SP Shahriar Mohammad Miazi stated that despite the lack of initial leads, relentless intelligence operations enabled the police to solve the case within six days and recover the stolen artifacts, adding that formal legal proceedings against the four arrested suspects are currently underway.