Tamil Nadu Cop Poses As Buyer, Seizes 130-Year-Old Idol Worth Rs 8 Crore
NDTV
In one such conversation, the seller divulged that the idol was more than 300 years old and that he was willing to sell it for Rs 8 crore.
The Tamil Nadu Idol Wing CID cops posed as idol exporters and seized an idol of Lord Nataraja in Coimbatore, the police said on Monday.
Following information that one H Sivaprasath Namboothiri of Palakkad in Kerala attempted to peddle an antique idol of the Lord Nataraja through a broker for Rs 8 crore a month ago, Idol Wing DGP K Jayanth Murali, along with IGP, Idol Wing, Dinakaran, and Superintendent of Police Ravi, hatched a plan to disguise the staff of the wing as prominent idol exporters to approach the seller.
Accordingly, Inspector Prema Santhakumari, Sub Inspectors Pandiarajan and Rajesh of the Madurai unit of the Idol Wing were instructed to masquerade as buyers and approach the idol seller. They established contact with the seller a month ago and conversations over the phone with Sivaprasath Namboothiri were recorded to be used as evidence later.
In one such conversation, the seller divulged that the idol was more than 300 years old and that he was willing to sell it for Rs 8 crore.
