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Idol wing sleuths of the economics offences wing have arrested six idol smugglers including a temple 'sthapathy' (traditional temple architect) and seized four panchaloha idols worth Rs 20 crore from them.
Two idols of Lord Siva and Parvathi, and a Sivagami idol were recovered from the accused. All the idols are about two-and a-half-feet tall, officials said.
Police teams acting on a tip-off arrested an astrologer M Balakumar, R Gopal, S Kannan, who hail from Pudukottai;C Kulandaivelu, K Muthukumar and the 'sthapathy' Nagaraj. Police have launched a hunt for a retired village administrative officer named Jayaraman and five others in connection with the case.
Inspector-general of police (idol wing) R Arumugam handed over the seized idols to the Hindu religious and charitable endowment trust (HR&CE) commissioner Chandrakumar.
Preliminary inquiries revealed that the accused had stolen the idols from the Sivantha Paathamudaiyar Temple in Siruvachi village, 16km from Devakottai near Sivaganga district.
The Tamil Nadu government has granted Rs 80 lakh to renovate the 800-year-old temple a few months ago. Police inquiries revealed that the accused conspired to steal the invaluable idols while during the renovation. The idols were buried underneath the sanctum sanctorum.
The Times of India - Indian Newspapers in English Language from six editions.
Two idols of Lord Siva and Parvathi, and a Sivagami idol were recovered from the accused. All the idols are about two-and a-half-feet tall, officials said.
Police teams acting on a tip-off arrested an astrologer M Balakumar, R Gopal, S Kannan, who hail from Pudukottai;C Kulandaivelu, K Muthukumar and the 'sthapathy' Nagaraj. Police have launched a hunt for a retired village administrative officer named Jayaraman and five others in connection with the case.
Inspector-general of police (idol wing) R Arumugam handed over the seized idols to the Hindu religious and charitable endowment trust (HR&CE) commissioner Chandrakumar.
Preliminary inquiries revealed that the accused had stolen the idols from the Sivantha Paathamudaiyar Temple in Siruvachi village, 16km from Devakottai near Sivaganga district.
The Tamil Nadu government has granted Rs 80 lakh to renovate the 800-year-old temple a few months ago. Police inquiries revealed that the accused conspired to steal the invaluable idols while during the renovation. The idols were buried underneath the sanctum sanctorum.
The Times of India - Indian Newspapers in English Language from six editions.