JC, EO held in missing bronze idols case at Pandanallur temple

More than 1,000 years old Pasupatheeswarar temple in Pandanallur has been acting as a repository for bronze idols from temples situated in 73 villages nearby. When an enumeration for the stock of icons was made in 2013 by HR and CE department, it was found out icons of Vinayakar, Pushpakarani, Valli, Deivanai and Chandrasekara amman bronzes belonging to the Viswanathaswamy temple of Keezhamanakkudi and a Vinayakar icon of Idumbeswarar temple of Sri Rengarajapuram were missing. The Pandanallur police in association with the Idol wing police during August, 2017 registered a case against ten officials and staff of HR and CE department under various sections of IPC. 

On Thursday, a team of idol wing police personnel led by ADSP D Kumar, arrested Mayiladuthurai Joint Commissioner T Gajendran and Executive Officer K Kamaraj. They were produced before the judge who remanded them to judicial custody till December 7. It may be noted that on November 10, the police arrested two more officials, A Ramachandran (63), who was formerly the Executive officer of the Pasupatheeswarar temple and K Raja (37), the head clerk of the temple, who has since been suspended.