A spiritual symbol in downtown Okotoks is missing.

The Buddha statue in front of Tribal Connection along McRae Street was stolen on Wednesday night.

Jazlynn Badduke, the store's summer manager, says the theft really brings a whole new meaning to karma.

"Buddha is all about good karma, so stealing the Buddha isn't really going to bring you a lot of good stuff to your life," she says. "Obviously the people who took it didn't really know the meaning of the Buddha."

The spot in the garden at Tribal Connection where Buddha sat

Badduke says they may need to look at other security measures.

"It's just disappointing because all of us in downtown Okotoks are trying to come together and support everything and all the small town businesses and are being vandalized and stolen from. I think someone was mentioning how there used to be night-time security or something sort of like Citizens on Patrol."

Badduke describes the Buddha as being four to five feet tall, appears to be made out of a type of plaster, and is worth about $800.

Anyone with information on the statues whereabouts are asked to call the Okotoks RCMP.

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