7 stolen antique idols worth crores recovered in Tamil Nadu, include Adhi Kesava Perumal, Sree Devi & Bhoodevi sculptures

The seven idols recovered during the raid were Adhi Kesava Perumal, Sree Devi, Bhoodevi, Asthira Devar, Amman, Veera Bhadra and Mahadevi.

NewsBharati 13-Dec-2022 15:26:54 PM

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New Delhi, Dec 13: Tamil Nadu Police, Idol Wing, on Dec 7, recovered stolen idols worth Crores from an antique idol collector's residence. Officials are planning to return the stolen idols to the temples they were taken from.

According to the reports of India Today, during the Idol Wing’s search at the residence of a lady identified as Shobha Durairajan, the team found seven antique idols in her possession. Shobha, an artefact collector, purchased the antique idols from a man named Deenadayalan of Aparna Art Gallery in 2008 and 2015. The woman even produced receipts and documents disclosing the registration of the idols with the Archaeological Survey of India.

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The seven idols recovered during the raid were Adhi Kesava Perumal (59x27 cm), Sree Devi (48x20 cm), Bhoodevi (48x21 cm), Asthira Devar (48x38.5 cm), Amman (60x 25 cm), Veera Bhadra (40x18 cm ) and Mahadevi (34x14cm). Upon examination, officials found that the two of the idols had the name Adhi Kesava Temple, Ulundurpet, a telltale clue inscribed at the idols’ base. Soon, the idol wing officials enquired at the Adhi Kesava Temple in Ulundurpet. During the investigation, it was revealed that a burglary had taken place in July 2011 and the three idols, Adhi Kesava Perumal, Sreedevi and Bhoodevi, were stolen.

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The investigation team later produced the antique idols before an expert, along with the images of Perumal, Sreedevi and Bhoodevi obtained from the Aadhi-Kesava Temple. The expert, after examining the idols, confirmed that the photos of the idols brought from the temple and those found during the search of the premises in RA Puram were the same. The idol wing is planning to hand over the three idols of Standing Perumal, Sreedevi and Bhoodevi, to the Adhi-Kesava temple shortly. This is probably the first time the Idol Wing is restoring the stolen antique idols to the temple after recovering them.