Chennai, Nov 30 (UNI) The Idol Wing CID Police of Tamil Nadu on Saturday said
several crores worth bronze statue of Lord Thirumangai Alwar stolen from a temple
in the State was being repatriated from London.
A release from Idol Wing CID said in the year 2020, a case was registered
based on specific information regarding the theft of four valuable idols from
the Lord Soundararaja Perumal Temple at Kumbakonam in Thanjavur district,
between the years 1957 and 1967.
The stolen idols included the Thirumangai Alwar bronze idol, along with three
other metal idols — Kaalinga Nartha Krishnar, Vishnu and Sridevi.
These idols were illegally sold by unknown idol traffickers and smuggled abroad.
Through the sustained efforts of the Idol Wing CID, the smuggled idols were
traced to various museums abroad.
Specifically, the Thirumangai Alwar bronze idol was found to have been purchased
by the Ashmolean Museum at Oxford University, London, in 1967.
The Kaalinga Nartha Krishnar, Vishnu, and Sridevi idols were located in various
museums across the US.
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