TRICHY: The state idol wing CID took possession of three antique bronze idols of Rama, Sita and Lakshmana, stolen from Sri Rajagopalaswamy temple in Anandamangalam in Nagappattinam district, at a function in New Delhi on Wednesday. Union minister of state for tourism and culture Prahlad Singh Patel handed over the idols to additional director general of police (ADGP), idol wing CID of TN, Abhay Kumar Singh.
“It was a proud moment for everyone to bring back the antique idols from a dealer in London with the efforts of the Union minister and High Commission of India in London,” ADGP Singh told TOI, adding that chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami’s support helped them a lot. He said the idols will be flown to Chennai by Thursday and handed over to HR&CE department, after which they will be taken to Sri Rajagopalaswamy temple.
The idols, believed to be dated back to 15th century, were stolen in 1978 and a case was registered then. Despite some accused in the case being convicted during the period, the idols were not recovered. Routine checks on web pages of dealers of Indian art gave them profile of a UK-based dealer, who was confirmed to have the stolen idols.