15 idols seized from home in Thiruvanmiyur
CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu Idol Wing CID seized 15 antique idols, estimated to be several crore in the international market, from a house at Thiruvanmiyur on Friday. The house owner, identified as Ramesh Banthia (53), was given one week’s time to prove ownership of the artifacts, failing which he will be arrested, said police. Search is on for one more accused.
Based on a tip-off about idols being smuggled from Chennai, an Idol Wing officer posing as an antique collector got in touch with a broker, Surendra from Erode district. Initially, Surendra was reluctant to discuss details about the idols but after coaxing from the ‘antique collector,’ he shared images of the idols, which were on sale. The broker was set to travel to Chennai to show the idols, concealed in a secret location.
Surendra told the ‘antique collector’ to come to a spot in Thiruvanmiyur at 10:30 am on November 18. The officer reached the spot with his team, and the middleman unknowingly led them to the house at Thiruvanmiyur. Realising that the ‘antique collector’ was a police personnel, Surendra fled the spot.
Banthia had several idols in two houses at Thiruvanmiyur.
The team discovered the 15 idols-- Amman, Devi, Shiva, Parvathi, a horse, Buddha, Nandhi, small Nataraja, big Nataraja, Ram, Lakshman, Sita, Hanuman, Narthana Vinayagar and a Nataraja idol with plinth in the right leg folded. He did not have documents for the purchased idols, and the artifacts were not registered Archaeological Survey of India.
During inquiry, the owner confessed he dabbled in the smuggling business. A case was registered, and an investigation was launched to identify the temples from which the idols were stolen. Hunt is on for Surendra.