Antique idols of Hindu deities worth nearly Rs 400 million seized from shop near Chennai
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While police did not find the Parvati idol they were looking for, they did seize 11 metal idols, eight of which were declared antiques. This included idols of Lord Ganesha and Krishna.
The Idol Wing of Tamil Nadu Police arrested Javed Shah, a Chennai-based Kashmiri, for possessing an antique idol of Goddess Parvati.
Shah was living in the tourist destination of Mamallapuram on the outskirts of Chennai and was running a shop known as the "Indian Cottage Emporium" at a private resort.
Tamil Nadu Police seize antique idols worth upto Rs.40cr..
— Sidharth.M.P (@sdhrthmp) January 11, 2022
Idols of deities including Parvati found at premises of a kashmiri man Javed Shah, running a shop in Mamallapuram
Probe on to trace the origin, temples where the idols belong #India #idol #crime #Smugglers #Chennai pic.twitter.com/6JVuuqmwjI
On instructions from Tamil Nadu’s Director General of Police, Sylendra Babu, searches were conducted on Javed’s premises on December 24.
While police did not find the Parvati idol they were looking for, they did seize 11 metal idols, eight of which were declared antiques. This included idols of Lord Ganesha and Krishna.
Finally, it was on Tuesday that cops nabbed Javed, along with the Goddess Parvati idol. While Shah will be sent for remand, a probe is underway to trace the origins of the idols and to which temples they belong.
According to Sreedharan, an expert who has been associated with the Archaeological Survey of India, the value of the idols is estimated to be Rs 400 million.