「悪夢はこりごり」　インド窃盗団、盗んだ神像を返還

【ニューデリーＡＦＰ＝時事】インドの窃盗団が、３００年の歴史を持つヒンズー教寺院から神像を盗んで以来、悪夢にさいなまれたとして、盗品の大半を返還した。警察が明らかにした。（写真はインド西部ムンバイに飾られたヒンズー教の神のポスター 資料写真）
　ラジブ・シン警部補によると、窃盗団は先週、ヒンズー教のビシュヌ神の化身バラジ神を祭る寺院から神像１６体を盗んだ。
　だが、窃盗団は１６日夜になって、北部ウッタルプラデシュ州チトラクート地区にある同寺院の責任者の自宅近くに１４体を返還した。
　ヒンディー語で書かれた謝罪の手紙が添えられており、「寝ることも食べることも、心穏やかに過ごすこともできなくなりました」「恐ろしい夢はもうこりごりなので、像を返します」と記されていた。
　窃盗団の身元は特定できていない。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2022/05/18-14:44）

A gang of thieves have returned more than a dozen idols they stole from an ancient Hindu temple in India, saying they had been haunted by nightmares ever since the crime, according to police.
The group last week stole 16 statues from a 300-year-old temple of Lord Balaji -- an incarnation of the Hindu god Vishnu -- police inspector Rajiv Singh told AFP.
On Monday night they left 14 of them near the house of the temple's chief priest in Chitrakoot district in Uttar Pradesh, he said.
They also left behind a confession letter which said they were returning the idols because they were having scary dreams, Singh said.
The note begged for forgiveness.
One of the idols was made of Asthadhatu, an alloy of eight metals and weighed around five kilos, and the haul also included silver ornaments used to decorate deities.
The thieves have not yet been identified.
In their Hindi-language confession letter, they said: We have not been able to sleep, eat and live peacefully.
We are fed up with the scary dreams and are returning your valuables.