Engineers caught with 800-year-old panchaloha idol near Kanchi

A business stand-off between a buyer who offered Rs 1.5 crore and smugglers who wanted Rs 2.35 crore for the idol, seems to have led to the leak of information to the idol wing cops, who carried out the midnight operation.

A team led by idol wing inspector general of police AG Pon Manickavel intercepted an Omni van carrying the idol and four suspects in Ariyaperumbakkam based on specific input.

The idol of Sundaramoorthy Nayanar, which is estimated to be 600 - 800 years old, seized by the police team, was believed to be stolen from one of the temples in Uthiramerur in Kancheepuram. Prime accused Karthik, 25, a diploma engineer currently working as a sales manager of a private firm, is from Ozhukarai village in Uthiramerur. The others were identified as Dakshinamoorthy, 29, an engineer working with a thermal power firm, two brokers Sekhar, 28, of Avadi and Mahendran, 40 of Tiruvannamalai. 

The arrested were supposed to meet another agent named Pratap and a financier who had promised to sell the idol to buyers from Malaysia. “We are on the lookout for Pratap and his associates,” idol wing police said.

Police noted that the only after a custodial interrogation of the four suspects they will be able to know the details like the temple from which the idol was stolen and the agents, who were involved in the case.