ARIYALUR: A metal Hanuman idol which was stolen from a temple near Sendurai in Ariyalur district in 2012 and traced to a museum in Australia, was recovered by the idol wing and handed over to the temple on Tuesday.
The idols including the Hanuman idol of Varadaraja Perumal, Sridevi, and Bhoodevi temples in Vellur village near Sendurai, were stolen in 2012. Sendurai police registered a case, but as there was no progress, the case was transferred to the Idol Wing CID (IWCID) in 2020.
Officials traced the idol to a museum in the US and later found that a person living in Australia had purchased it. The idol was brought to the state last month. On Tuesday, IWCID ADGP Shailesh Kumar Yadav arrived at Vellur in Ariyalur district and handed over the idol to the temple in the presence of the villagers, and a special puja was performed. “There are various idols abroad including the USA and London. We are trying to find them and bring them back to India,” Sailesh said.