The situation had reached the point where local temples were becoming the target of unscrupulous thieves who purloined the exquisite god statues which graced the walls of shrines throughout the nation. Temple custodians had no choice but to start encasing the statues in protective glass or wire mesh.
基隆關的杯弓蛇影，除了根據國際海關協定，謹守防止古物流失的職責之外，與近年來台北廟宇中神像、壁飾迭遭宵小不無關連。