The officers of Idol Wing CID seized 14 metal idols worth several crores which are suspected to be antiques from an art gallery in Thanjavur.
This seizure was made by the Idol Wing CID which recently received an information that in 2017, the idols of Rishabhadeva, Sivagami Amman, and Mahaveera were produced before the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) with the intention of selling the idols abroad after getting a certificate that they were not antique. But the ASI after examining the idols issued a certificate that the idols are suspected to be antiques which foiled the plans of the accused.
Once they heard of this, police officers started looking for the idols. Last week, the wing received information that one Ganapathy who owns an establishment called Art Village (an art gallery) in Shivaji Nagar, Thanjavur, was looking for antique collectors to sell the idols in India or abroad.
The officers of the Idol Wing said further reliable inputs from the source indicated these idols were antiques. Before the search, the party approached the local court and obtained a 'search warrant'.
After conducting a search at the art gallery, police recovered 14 ancient idols concealed in a secret place. Ganapathy did not possess any valid documents to show ownership nor provenance of the idols.
Deputy Superintendent of Police, Idol Wing CID Kathiravan said a document seized showed that the accused in 2017 had approached the ASI for clearance to send it abroad but the same was rejected as some of the idols were suspected to be antique. The accused had no proper explanation for having in his possession antique idols without any formal documentation, nor was he able to explain how he had obtained them.
Ganapathy is being questioned. A case was registered and the officers of Idol Wing CID have taken up the matter for investigation. An investigation is under way to find the temple from which the idols were stolen, and those who were involved in the crime ANS to ascertain the antiquity. The wing will be able to obtain details pertaining to the actual provenance of the seized idols only after tracking and securing the remaining accused persons, the officer said.
Meanwhile, Ganapathy and the 14 seized idols, which are worth several hundred crores of rupees in the international market, were sent to a court for further proceedings.
