19th century painting stolen from Saraswathi Mahal, Thanjavur, traced to U.S. museum 

The painting was purchased in 2006 from an international antique dealer Subash Kapoor

  A rare painting of the 19th century which was stolen from Saraswathi Mahal, Thanjavur, a few years ago was traced by Idol Wing CID police to the Peabody Essex Museum, Massachusetts, USA. The painting was purchased in 2006 from an international antique dealer Subash Kapoor who was arrested by the State police in 2011 on charges of smuggling several antiques/artefacts.  

Director General of Police,(DGP) Idol Wing CID K. Jayanth Murali told The Hindu, "The rare painting was reportedly stolen years ago. But a complaint was lodged only recently. We have traced the painting in the U.S. and registered a case against Subash Kapoor who is the mastermind behind the theft. We will take him into custody to identify the other accused who were involved in the offence." 

Originally, Idol Wing CID received a complaint from Elephant G. Rajendran in 2017 about  the disappearance of the painting of Raja Serfoji and his son Sivaji from Saraswathi Mahal. After the registration of a case, the Idol Wing CID took up investigation. There was no breakthrough in the investigation initially and later the investigation was expedited by the officers led by Mr. Murali. 

Background of the painting 

For long, the rulers of Thanjavur had been devoid of absolute  power. Serfoji, placed by the British on the throne over his step brother Amar Singh, died in 1832. His only son Sivaji ruled until 1855. However, he had no male successor. Thanjavur became a casualty of Lord Dalhousie's infamous 'Doctrine of Lapse', and it got absorbed into British-ruled Indian provinces. The painting, which has Raja Serfoji and his  youthful son, according to some historians, was probably painted between 1822 and 1827 and kept in the Saraswathi Mahal. In 1918, the Saraswathi Mahal Library was opened to the public. Efforts were made to microfilm and catalogue the contents in 1965 when Indira Gandhi, who was then Information and Broadcasting Minister, sanctioned the fund for the library's development. Despite this, there exists no record to show the disappearance of the painting from the mahal. 

Investigation into the theft 

When there was no progress in the case, the Idol wing officers decided to check the museums and websites of antique collectors abroad. While doing so, they found that the 19th-century painting had been purchased by the Peabody Essex Museum in 2006. Further, it revealed that the museum had purchased the painting from Subash Kapoor for $35,000. PEM is one of several major art institutions worldwide that had purchased items from art dealer Subhash Kapoor, who was arrested in 2011 at the Frankfurt airport on charges of trafficking in stolen antiques from India.