COIMBATORE: The city police arrested three persons, including a Kerala man, in possession of valuable antique idols near Brindavan Nagar here on Wednesday. The Coimbatore Peelamedu crime police were tipped-off about a gang planning to sell valuable antique idols worth several crore. On information, Peelamedu crime sub-inspector R Rajeshwari rushed to Brindavan Nagar near the International Airport, where she saw three men loitering about in a suspicious manner.
On searching their baggage, the officials found two antique idols of Saraswathi and Nagadevi, besides a copper signet, four brass rings, an old conch, an old snail tile, two copper bangles and some copper vessels. The three persons were taken to the Peelamedu police station for inquiry. “All the three said they were trying to sell it to some dealer, whose details we could not get.
We ascertained the idols were stolen from ancient temples, possibly in Kerala, but they refused to divulge the details,” R Rajeshwari said.
After confirming that they were stolen goods, the Peelamedu police arrested N Chandrasekaran(48), a resident of Brindavan Nagar near Sitra in the city; B Sibubalachandran(34), from Vadakancheri at Palakkad district in Kerala; and R Jayapandiyan(39), a resident of Edayarpalayam in the city.