INDIA: The beautifully carved bronze idols of Goddess Mariamman and Nataraja, said to be 300 years old, were recovered from a Chennai resident on Tuesday, the Tamil Nadu Idol Wing CID said.
These idols were found in the illegal possession of a person who had no idea of their origin. A person living in a house in Anna Nagar could not produce documents regarding the origin of the idols, police said.
“The idols have markings and holes for fixing them on temple stretchers to be carried in procession during festivals. So they are undisputedly temple idols,” said K Jayanth Murali, DGP of Idol Wing CID.
These antique idols, probably stolen from temples and sold without proper documents, constitute illegal possession that can be confiscated. Idol Wing, therefore, seized the idol on August 29 in the presence of legal witnesses, it said in a statement.
Superintendent of Police Idol Wing P Ravi raided a residence in the city following a tip-off. The team also included DSP Muthu Raja and inspectors Ravindran and Vasanthi.
The search was conducted on the instructions of Jayanth Murali and IGP R Dhinakaran. An investigation is underway to trace the temples from where the idols were stolen.
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