Vandals pay Rs 70,000 fine, restore pillars at Hampi heritage site

Hampi, Feb 20: Four boys who were arrested for vandalising a portion of the UNESCO world heritage site in Karnataka's Hampi have confessed to their crime. They paid Rs 70,000 fine each after being ordered by a Karnataka court and helped restore the pillars on Tuesday.

After their arrests on February 8, the boys confessed to vandalising five pillars of the Vishnu temple in Hampi during a visit in January. The court had directed them to pay the fine on February 14. The police released them after collecting Rs 2.80 lakh as fine amount, said the police.

The video showing some youths vandalising ancient pillars at the world heritage site in Hampi went viral on the social media. In the video, one can see the youth pushing the pillars and overturning them. The pillar, part of a valuable ancient structure, tilts and falls before breaking into pieces. The site in Hampi has been declared a World Heritage by the Unesco.