During a vehicle interception, the police stopped a bike and found three panchaloha murtis, leading to the arrest of three individuals in connection with the case.
Acting on a tip-off, the TP Chatram police intercepted a bike near Madina Mosque in TP Chatram on September 24. The motorist gave contradictory answers when questioned and failed to produce the registration certificate, driving license, and other documents. Growing suspicious, the police discovered three panchaloha murtis in his possession. He was identified as Irhad Mohammed from Parthipattu village. The murtis, depicting Bhagwan Murugan and his consorts Valli and Deivanai, have been reported stolen from Mandirs across the state. The murtis appear to be approximately 150 years old, and the police have sent pictures of the murtis to the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to confirm their age.
Based on the information provided by Irshad, police arrested two suspects: V Akash Ebinezar (27) of T P Chatram, a history-sheeter, and L Rajesh (45) of K K Nagar. They recovered three murtis of Bhagwan Murugan, Valli, and Deivanai. Police stated, “The duo was planning to sell the murtis, claiming they were antiques.”
The three seized murtis have been handed over to the anti-murti smuggling wing. The suspects have not revealed how they obtained possession of these murtis. They were remanded to judicial custody after being presented before a magistrate’s court in Egmore on September 26.
Police are investigating further to determine from which Mandir the murtis were stolen, whether there are any other individuals involved in the crime, and exploring other angles. They will send pictures to all police stations to check for any reports of missing or stolen murtis within their jurisdictions.
In July of this year, CID (IWCID) officials arrested a man from Mayiladuthurai district who attempted to sell six antique murtis that he had unearthed from his house five years ago. He did not inform Government officials about the recovery of the murtis but conspired with a friend and his son-in-law to sell them to some foreigners for crores of rupees. Police seized the murtis when the three were smuggling them in a car to Chennai.
Meanwhile, on the occasion of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the United States, the US has returned 297 antiquities that were stolen and smuggled out of India. These antiquities will soon be repatriated to India. In a symbolic handover, a select few pieces were showcased to the Prime Minister and President Biden on the sidelines of their bilateral meeting in Wilmington, Delaware. The Prime Minister thanked President Biden for his support in the return of these artefacts. The US has returned a significant number of such antiquities—ten in 2016, 157 in 2021, and 105 in 2023. The total number of artefacts returned to India by the US now stands at 578, with an additional 297 set to come to India.
