Not a broken lock. Not a shattered door. Just a scribbled scrap of paper from a temple well.
In 1981, the sacred Ettumanoor Mahadeva Temple lost its golden Shiva idol in a heist that felt more like a movie script than a real-life crime.
A crowbar, a crumpled school notebook, and a cold trail led police to a thief with nerves of steel — and a plan as daring as it was precise.
This episode of Kerala Crime Files uncovers the theft that stunned a town and revealed how one careless clue cracked open a web of temple robberies across the state.

Not a broken lock. Not a shattered door. Just a scribbled scrap of paper from a temple well. In 1981, the sacred Ettumanoor Mahadeva Temple lost its golden Shiva idol in a heist that felt more like a movie script than a real-life crime. A crowbar, a crumpled school notebook, and a cold trail led police to a thief with nerves of steel &mdash; and a plan as daring as it was precise. This episode of Kerala Crime Files uncovers the theft that stunned a town and revealed how one careless clue cracked open a web of temple robberies across the state.

Onmanorama's Kerala Crime Files is a gripping true crime series that takes you deep into Kerala’s most shocking real-life cases, straight from the 137-year-old archives of Malayala Manorama.
Listen to forgotten mysteries, chilling details, and untold stories.

Onmanorama's Kerala Crime Files is a gripping true crime series that takes you deep into Kerala&rsquo;s most shocking real-life cases, straight from the 137-year-old archives of Malayala Manorama. Listen to forgotten mysteries, chilling details, and untold stories.

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