The probe by officers of Idol Wing CID police into the theft of a Ganesha idol stolen 50 years ago led to chance discovery of 11 more antique idols stolen from the temple. Interestingly, the temple staff were unaware of the theft until the officers of Idol Wing reached the temple and began investigation.
The Idol Wing began investigation recently following a complaint by Balu, a resident of Thirukkuvalai Taluk. He alleged that an antique Ganesha metal idol which was worshipped once at Arulmigu Pannaka Parameswara Swamy Temple in Pannatheru in Nagapatinam district was missing.
As neither the temple nor the residents had any images of the Ganesha idol that was stolen 50 years ago, police officers of the special wing decided to approach the French Institute of Pondicherry (IFP), a research centre in Puducherry which has a collection of 1,40,000 photographs of temples and historical structures in south India. IFP had taken pictures of idols kept in 1959 and had its collection.
