By Tim Binnall
A group of thieves who stole several sacred statues from a temple in India wound up quickly returning the pilfered pieces due to what they say were terrifying dreams that had plagued them ever since the ill-advised caper. According to a local media report, the very weird case began last week when the unidentified gang of sticky-fingered ne'er-do-wells made off with 16 small idols from a 300-year-old temple in the village of Taruha. The heist drew condemnation from the temple's head priest, who described the pieces as precious, and multiple Hindu organizations decried the incident while calling on police to catch the crooks. Fortunately, it did not take long for the crime to resolve itself by way of what would seem to be some kind of supernatural intervention.
This past Sunday evening, the temple priest was surprised to discover a mysterious sack that had been left on his doorstep. Within the bag were fourteen of the stolen statues as well as a rather odd note that had been written by the individuals who stole the piece. "We have been suffering from nightmares since we committed the theft and have not been able to sleep, eat and live peacefully," lamented the thieves, who explained that they were returning the stolen idols because "we are fed up with the scary dreams." It remains to be seen whether or not the unexpected act of contrition will provide the thieves any peace, though one presumes police are still on the hunt for the miscreants and the two statues that they failed to return.