Idol Wing CID Police has taken a major step to retrieve an idol that was stolen from a temple in Thanjavur district 50 years ago and later auctioned off by Christie's in the United States.
In this regard, the special wing of police dispatched legal documents establishing the ownership of Tamil Nadu over the bronze idol of Kala Samhara Moorthy also known as Tripurantaka Murthy. The bronze idol was stolen over 50 years ago from Sri Kasi Viswanatha Swamy Temple, Muthammal Puram village, Orathanadu taluk in Thanjavur district, by replacing it with a fake replica.
Originally, on November, 6, 2020, G. Suresh, executive officer of the temple submitted a complaint to the Idol Wing CID, Chennai stating that the antique Kalasamharamurthy metal idol belonging to Sri Kasi Viswanatha Swamy Temple, Muthulapuram Village, had been stolen and dishonestly misappropriated. He further stated that as the original idol had been replaced by a fake replica 50 years ago and requested the Idol Wing to conduct the necessary investigation and recover the stolen idol.
