Tamil Nadu Police recovers 300-year-old idols worth crores from Chennai
India Today
Two antique idols, dated to be 300 years old according to an expert, were recovered by the Tamil Nadu Police Idol Wing from a residence in Chennai on Monday, August 29. Officials are trying to identify which temple it was stolen from and the person who stole them.
Tamil Nadu Police, Idol Wing, recovered two 300-year-old idols from a residence in Chennai on Monday, August 29. Based on confidential information that a resident of Chennai had stolen antique idols, officials from the Tamil Nadu Idol Wing Police launched an investigation into the matter.
Upon searching the residence, department officials were able to unearth two idols, a Mariamman idol in a sitting position and a Natarajar idol in a dancing position.
According to the Idol Wing, Sreedharan, an expert who inspected the idols, "The two idols are antique and more than 300 years old." The seized idol, which is worth several crores of rupees in the international market, is being sent to remand today.
The resident who was present at the location said that her parents possessed the idols even before she was born. Therefore, she was clueless about the origin of the idols.
“When the possessee was asked to produce papers regarding the origin of the idols, she could not do so. The idols have markings and slots for fixing them on temple palanquins, for carrying them during festive occasions. Hence, they are indisputably temple idols,” said the Idol Wing.
The statement further added, “The fact that they are antique idols, probably stolen from temples and sold to the present possessor, and the absence of proper papers to reveal their provenance causes illegal possessions, liable for confiscation. Therefore, the Idol Wing CID seized the illegal idols in the presence of legal witnesses on the evening of August 29.”
An FIR has been registered under relevant sections of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPc). Officials are now in the process of tracing the temples from where the idols were stolen. They are also attempting to identify the accused who stole the idols.
