Angul: Unidentified miscreants allegedly looted cash and gold from the Saila Srikhetra Jagannath Temple in Odisha’s Angul district, late last night.

As per reports, the temple’s security personnel had locked the premises after yesterday's closure. However, the burglars broke the gate and entered the temple. They looted money from the donation box and took away the three golden 'chitas' adorning the idols of the deities.

The matter came to light early this morning when the temple priest arrived to perform daily rituals and found the gate in a broken state. On being informed by the temple administration, the local police rushed to the spot and initiated an investigation.

A dog squad and a scientific team were deployed for the probe.

While CCTV cameras have been installed at the temple, they became non-functional around two years ago. This lapse reportedly enabled the looters to execute the theft without being recorded.

Efforts were on by the cops to identify and trace the thieves.