The Idol Wing CID has registered a case against a senior official of the Srirangam Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple, maintained by the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Department, and five others based on a complaint alleging theft of ancient idols and precious artefacts belonging to the shrine.
The case was registered on Wednesday based on a direction from the Madras High Court to the Idol Wing CID to conduct a thorough investigation into the complaint preferred by Rangarajan Narasimhan of Srirangam. Mr. Narasimhan claimed that several idols and precious artefacts belonging to the Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple were stolen during the period 2012-2017.
Police said the six persons have been booked under IPC sections including 406 (criminal breach of trust) and 409 (criminal breach of trust by public servant) and under section 25 (2) of The Antiquities and Art Treasures Act, 1972. The investigation would be carried out by Idol Wing CID Additional Superintendent of Police G.S. Madhavan. The complainant had earlier moved the court seeking a direction to the police to register a First Information Report on the alleged theft.
A Division Bench of Justices R. Mahadevan and P.D. Audikesavalu directed the Idol Wing CID to conduct a thorough investigation into the complaint. An Idol Wing CID team headed by its then Inspector General of Police A.G. Ponn Manickavel conducted a preliminary inquiry in September 2018 into the complaint of theft of ancient idols and artefacts from the shrine. The team spent over three hours inspecting the ‘Dwajasthambam’, the Thousand Pillar mandapam and other shrines on the temple premises. It heard the allegations raised by Mr. Narasimhan and the responses from the JC.
