The officers of the Idol Wing CID have arrested two dealers for trying to sell an antique green stone lingam with metal work.
A confidential information was received that some idol smugglers were attempting to sell an antique green stone lingam with metal nagabharanam near Poonnamallee. On the direction of Director General of Police, Idol Wing CID K.Jayanth Murali, a team of Idol Wing CID officials headed by Additional Superintendent of Police Rajaram deployed decoys pretending to be wealthy idol collectors to establish contact with the suspects.
In the garb of buyers, they met the idol smugglers who quoted ₹25 crore. After convincingly winning them over, the smugglers produced the 'green stone lingam with metal nagabharanam' that was concealed in a secret closet. When the idol was being produced, the Idol Wing CID personnel swung into action and secured the two accused and seized the idol from them.
Police said the seized item is an antique and looks exquisite with a unique design. At the bottom of the nagabharanam, it characteristically has the five faces of lord Shiva with damaru, soolam and snake. And at the back of the snake hoods, the garudalwar (eagle) is represented in a flying position. An idol expert who examined it reported that the antique idol could be more than 500-years-old and probably belongs to Nepal, the police said.
The accused are Bakthvachalam, alias Bala, 46, of Vellavedu, and S. Bakiyaraj 42, of Puthuchathiram. The details about the actual provenance of the seized idol is under investigation. More details will be available once the remaining two accused are arrested, the police said.
