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US to return 7 antiquities stolen from India

27CHIDOL

Additional Director General of Police Prateep V. Philip and Inspector-General of Police (Idol Wing) Pon Manickavel inspect the Narasimmee idol stolen from Vriddhachalam temple. | Photo Credit: K.V. Srinivasan
http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities...-under-the-police-scanner/article18591925.ece


Subhash Kapoor, associates named as accused in theft that happened in 2002
The CB-CID’s Idol Wing will now turn its focus on whether there was any connivance on the part of officials and custodians of Vriddhagiriswarar temple in Vriddhachalam, in the theft of six idols including the 1,000-year-old Chola-era idol Narasimmee that returned to Chennai on Friday.

Though the six idols have been missing since 2002, there was no complaint from any official or custodian of the temple. When Inspector General of Police (IG), CB-CID Idol Wing, A.G. Pon Manickavel took up a case on missing idols from Sripuranthan temple, Ariyalur, partnering with the Federal Police of Australia through Interpol, the Australian authorities provided a list of likely stolen idols including the Narasimmee. Investigators of the Idol Wing were surprised to learn that a few more idols, not on their list, had been stolen from Tamil Nadu.

Mr. Manickavel said, “It was impossible that the offence could have been committed without the involvement of temple authorities. Only after we took up the matter, a Joint Commissioner of the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department registered a complaint with the police in 2013, claiming that only one statue was stolen from there. Then we took up the initiative to register another case for the remaining idols in 2015.”

Though the US-based antique dealer Subash Kapoor and his associates — Vallabh Prakash, Aditya Prakash and three others — have been cited as accused in the case, the role of temple officials is yet to be probed. Mr. Manickavel said: “We will probe further the role of officials and will not spare them.”

Interpol help to be sought

“We will seek information from Australian authorities to figure out who were involved in the smuggling. After this, we will frame a comprehensive charge sheet and all those involved in the offence will be brought to book,” Mr. Manickavel said.

Immediately after landing in New Delhi, the idol, and two others, were placed on display at the National Museum. Mr. Manickavel told The Hindu: “We have explained to them that placing the idol on display in the museum is legally impermissible since the idol was stolen from a temple and it is a property of the court. The court will decide where the idol will go.”

The Narasimmee idol is likely to be handed over to the judicial magistrate court in Vriddhachalam on Monday. After getting the court order, the idol will be held in the special unit for idols — the Icon Centre, Kumbakonam — for safe keeping.
 
No .It depends on the area from where the artifacts are excavated.We dont have any claims to any artifact excavated in your area and likewise you dont have any claim to artifact excavated from present day indian area.
I doubt Pakistan and Bangladesh care about Hindu idols
 
22BGKALABURAGIRECOVERED

KALABURAGI (GULBARGA) JUNE.21- kalaburagi police busted inter-state gang of thieves and recovered the idols of worth Rs 8.65 lakh stolen from Siddarameshwar temple in Jidaga Mutt in Aland taluk in Kalaburagi district. - PHOTO: ARUN KULKARNI. | Photo Credit: ARUN KULKARNI;ARUN KULKARNI - Arun Kulkarni
http://www.thehindu.com/news/nation...gang-held-idols-recovered/article19121797.ece

The Kalaburagi police have busted an inter-State gang involved in stealing precious idols from Siddarameshwar Mutt in Jidaga village in Aland taluk in district recently. Two of the eight gang members, Shivaji Namdev Kale and Shivaji vasant Ubale, both from Osmanabad district in Maharashtra, were arrested on Wednesday.

The accused were involved in the theft of the precious idol of Siddarameshwar weighing nearly 5 kg, and other artefacts made of silver and brass weighing up to 16 kg and worth ₹ 8.65 lakh from the Jidaga Mutt in Aland taluk on June 7.

The police have recovered the idols. Interrogation of the accused has revealed that most of the gang members are lorry drivers. The police said that they are on the lookout for their accomplices.
 
MA23DGLIDOLS

The idols recovered from a man hailing from Sithayankottai in Dindigul district on Friday. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

DINDIGUL, September 23, 2017 08:21 IST
Updated: September 23, 2017 08:21 IST
http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Madurai/two-idols-seized-one-arrested/article19740616.ece

A man who smuggled two idols of Buddha and Lord Krishna from Kerala was arrested by Batlagundu police on Friday.

Ranjith of Sithayankottai near Sedapatti in Dindigul district, who went to Kerala as a casual worker a few years ago, came across idol smugglers.

He brought home two idols recently and many potential buyers visited his village, which raised the suspicion of the police.

Fearing trouble, he kept the idols in the custody of his friend Santhanamurthi and fled to Madurai. When the police repeatedly visited his house, Santhanamurthi allegedly told the police about the idols in his possession.

A police team laid a trap and nabbed Ranjith. Based on his confession, an idol of Kali, which is also suspected to have been smuggled from Kerala, was recovered from the Oddanchathiram forest. A special police team has left for Kerala to bust the ring.
 
THANJAVUR, September 27, 2017 09:45 IST
Updated: September 27, 2017 09:45 IST
http://www.thehindu.com/news/nation...olice-lack-infrastructure/article19761093.ece

Kumbakonam court directed to hear over 550 idol smuggling cases
The Idol Wing of Tamil Nadu Police, vested with the onerous task of apprehending, prosecuting smugglers and pedlars of invaluable ancient treasurers looted from temples, in the State are working in the face of logistic and infrastructural hardship.

With the Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Court in Kumbakonam directed to hear idol smuggling cases, numbering over 550 registered across the State, the Idol Wing personnel are seeking solutions to their eminently avoidable work hazard.

In fact, the cases gathered steam only after Inspector General of Police A.G. Pon Manickavel took over the wing and expedited probe into the cases as well as prosecution of the offenders including a US national Subash Chandra Kapoor, since arrested and held in captivity. Finding that the no-nonsense officer was really spot on in his work, an idol smuggler himself reportedly tipped off the IG about the role of a DSP and a Senior Sub Inspector in spiriting away six idols seized from a village in Virudhunagar district leading to the arrest and suspension of the officers concerned.

In the meantime, Mr. Pon Manickavel was shunted out as IG Railways but the Madras High Court intervened and directed the State Government to retain him in the Idol Wing and also entrust him the job of hunting down idol smugglers. When the State Government went on appeal against the Madras High Court verdict, the Supreme Court threw out the appeal while affirming the High Court order, which also asked the State to allot adequate number of men and officers to carry out the prosecution works.

The Director General of Police sanctioned seven ADSPs, 10 DSPs, Inspectors, SIs and constables totalling 200 for the Idol Wing shortly thereafter but with no directive on their offices and other attendant facilities including vehicles for transporting the accused or technological support like video conferencing facilities to present the accused before the court from their places of captivity, the Idol Wing is struggling.

Regular hearings commenced in the Kumbakonam court on September 11 and in the first batch seven cases were transferred from a Srivilliputhur court and that included the one involving the two suspended police officials. That has intensified their troubles and more of them are on their way as several other cases are to be transferred to the Kumbakonam court shortly.

The State Government and the police headquarters should allot office space for the Idol Wing in Tiruchi, where many smugglers are held at the Central Prisons, or even in Thanjavur at the earliest so that transit could be easy. In any case an office with adequate facilities must be sanctioned in Kumbakonam to facilitate prosecution. Sources in the Wing confide that they face certain difficulties interrogating the accused in local police stations.

Though there is one more court in Chennai to hear the idol smuggling cases, most of the sensitive cases are being committed to the designated court in Kumbakonam.

The State Government must not drag its feet in facilitating the prosecuting the idol smugglers, the sources opined.
 
Idol-seizedARTGE02L6IU73jpgjpg

The panchaloha idol seized by the police on Tuesday.

http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/tamil-nadu/idol-seized/article19841610.ece
KANCHEEPURAM, October 12, 2017 00:36 IST
Updated: October 12, 2017 08:16 IST

A 1000-year-old panchaloha idol was seized by the police from a group of four people at Ariyaperumbakkam junction on Chennai-Bengaluru National Highway on Tuesday.

According to the police, a team of police personnel in plainclothes went to the Ariyaperumbakkam junction at around 7 p.m. on Tuesday after they received a tip-off that an idol was about to change hands.

Upon reaching, they found a mini-passenger van parked on the roadside with four people. A check of the vehicle led to the seizure of a 52-cm high panchaloha idol with a damaged portion on the back of the head.

Subsequently, the gang members were brought to the Baluchettychatram police station, where they confessed that they had planned to sell the idol for a sum of ₹2.50 crore to buyers from Malaysia.

The van and two motorcycles used by the gang was also impounded, police said.
 
13THIDOLRAID

Inspector-General of Police (Idol wing) A.G. Pon Manickavel and archaeologist R. Nagasamy with another huge haul of stolen idols from a warehouse in Venus Colony off Murrays Gate Road in Alwarpet, Chennai on June 11, 2016. Photo K.V. Srinivasan | Photo Credit: K_V_Srinivasan;K_V_Srinivasan -

http://www.thehindu.com/news/nation...hands-to-fight-idol-theft/article19848658.ece

Orders HR&CE chief to organise meeting within 3 weeks

The Madras High Court on Thursday ordered a joint meeting of Commissioner of Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments, Inspector General of Police A.G. Pon Manickavel and representatives from the Archaeological Survey of India as well as the State Archaeological Department to chalk out ways and means to solve idol theft cases.

Passing interim orders on a batch of writ petitions, Justice R. Mahadevan directed the HR&CE Commissioner to ensure that the meeting was conducted within three weeks and all the infrastructural requirements of Mr. Pon Manickavel, who had been appointed as the head of Idol Wing CID on the orders of the court, were addressed.

The judge passed the orders after hearing the case through video conferencing from the Madurai Bench of the High Court. While the IG participated in the proceedings from Madurai, one of the petitioners ‘Elephant’ G. Rajendran and Government Pleader (in-charge) T.N. Rajagopalan made their submission from here.

During the course of arguments, the IG told the court that he would require high-definition cameras to shoot pictures of the idols that had been recovered so far from the smugglers. He said that the HR&CE department could be directed to provide the cameras which would be returned after the completion of the work. In his submissions, Mr. Rajendran said that a directive should be issued to handicraft manufacturers to henceforth inscribe the date of manufacturing on the idols so that international idol smugglers could be prevented from taking away precious and ancient idols, stolen from Indian temples, to other countries through false claims of being new handicraft products.

The judge agreed to consider the suggestion and pass suitable orders during the next hearing. In so far as the petitioner’s plea for providing police protection to him was concerned, the judge directed the police officials to look into his request in the light of the threats received by him. Later, the case was posted for hearing after 3 weeks.

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21THTEMPLE

http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/the-man-who-stole-gods/article19891536.ece?homepage=true

Investigators tracking the idol-smuggling racket scored a big success with the arrest of art dealer Subhash Kapoor, the alleged mastermind, in 2012. But since then, neither have thefts from Tamil Nadu abated nor have investigations made much headway. Narayan Lakshman delves into the shadowy world of idol-smuggling to find out why.

A merciless sun beats down on the throng outside the Trichy Central Prison in Tiruchirapalli, Tamil Nadu. Not the best of conditions for a two-hour wait amidst a jostling multitude anxious to meet their kin in the massive jail complex.

Suddenly a man appears, walking through a crowd of inmates in the prison yard. It is clear he is heading for the warden’s office. Clad in a light blue t-shirt and mud brown shorts, he is not in regulation prison wear, which is all white. With his hair a mess of unruly grey, a days-old stubble, and eyebrows scrunched up in a strange expression of curiosity and timidity, 69-year-old Subhash Kapoor doesn’t look the part of a man said to be the kingpin of an international gang of idol thieves.

He hasn’t given an interview for more than five years. But the erstwhile art dealer and celebrity donor who moved around with New York’s swish set opens up, under the watchful eyes of the jail warden.

In the course of a conversation that lasts over two hours, he spins an intriguing, and sometimes confusing, tale of complicity and collusion. The story he tells is of a well-organised racket run by senior police officers who worked hand-in-glove with smugglers to enable the theft of temple idols from all over India, of men in law enforcement who built fortunes through extortion.

High-value prisoner
Media accounts have portrayed Kapoor as a smooth-talking criminal mastermind. In person, he was anything but that. He appeared tired and old and kept complaining about his multiple illnesses — early-stage cancer, diabetes, lupus. But there were no external signs of any grave ailment.

Kapoor bemoaned the fact that Tamil Nadu’s criminal justice system would not let him get even an MRI done to detect the true extent of the cancer. In court, he had to argue his case for medical treatment himself, which meant that language was another barrier to better care.

And yet, for the multi-nation, multi-agency teams investigating the global idol-smuggling network, Kapoor is a prize catch. He was first detained in Germany in 2011, after the Interpol issued a Red Corner alert. Subsequently he was extradited to India.

His deviant roots, however, seem to go back farther, or should we say, to his father, Parshotam Ram Kapoor. The older Kapoor was reportedly tried on allegations of art theft in the 1970s.

Affinity for idols seems to run deep in the Kapoor gene pool, for other family members flushed out of the illegal trade include Kapoor’s sister Sushma Sareen and daughter Mamta Sager. Despite the heat faced by antique smugglers worldwide, Kapoor’s brother Ramesh runs Kapoor Galleries, located close to Subhash Kapoor’s infamous gallery, Art of the Past, which was raided by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in January 2012.

Other reported associates of Kapoor include the Kerala-based Sanjeevi Asokan, an alleged kingpin of a gang of idol thieves; Paramaspry Punusamy, Kapoor’s former ‘girlfriend’ from Malaysia; Deenadayalan, a Chennai-based gallery owner and art dealer; and Khader Basha, a former Inspector in the Idol Wing of the Tamil Nadu police, who is under investigation.

While some among these, including Punusamy and Deenadayalan, provided useful information upon interrogation, others walked free due to the legal complexity of proving guilt in a court of law for such transnational criminality.

Crackdown on idol traffickers
Kapoor first came under direct suspicion in February 2007, the day a shipping consignment marked ‘Marble Garden Furniture’ arrived in New York. Authorities in Mumbai and in the U.S. had been tipped off that it actually contained antiques under false documentation. The shipment was seized. But no one came forward to claim it.


Meanwhile, Kapoor disappeared, but not for long. Under the supervision of Special Agent Brenton Easter, ‘Operation Hidden Idol’ of the Federal Bureau of Investigation pursued the leads generated by the abandoned shipping crate. It had made substantial progress in the case by 2009. In 2011, the evidence it had amassed led to an Interpol notice, which closed the noose around a fugitive Kapoor in Germany’s Frankfurt airport.

Meanwhile, in the distant Ariyalur district of Tamil Nadu, police were grappling with a rash of idol theft incidents. These included daring raids to steal a priceless 800-year-old Nataraja bronze statue from Suthamalli in 2008 and a 900-year-old statue of the dancing Shiva from Sripuranthan in 2006. The latter was eventually found to be in the possession of the National Gallery of Australia, Canberra, and was returned to India in 2014. Investigators suspected Kapoor’s hand in both these cases.
21THIDOLS


With Kapoor in custody, the responsibility to prosecute has now fallen on the Tamil Nadu police, which is pressing charges related to the theft of idols from Suthamalli under Sections 411 (knowingly receiving and retaining stolen property), 465 (forgery) and 468 (forgery for purpose of cheating) of the Indian Penal Code.

Tamil Nadu police’s former Idol Wing chief, Pon Manickavel, rightly takes credit for much of the recent momentum behind the Kapoor investigation in Tamil Nadu. In an extended interview with The Hindu, he said that Kapoor would have gotten away with a “flea-bite sentence” — a three-year sentence at most — if only the provisions of the Antiquities and Art Treasures Act, 1972, the governing statute on antiquities, had been applied. To avoid such an eventuality, Kapoor was also being charged under Section 457, entailing “lurking house-trespass,” for which a conviction could lead to a 14-year jail sentence if the intent of theft could be proved.

Apart from Kapoor, two other notable arrests include that of Deenadayalan, in 2016, and of Basha last month.

Deenadayalan’s arrest led to the discovery of around 250 idols stashed in his house in Chennai’s posh Alwarpet area. Official complicity first came to light in the summer of 2017 when investigators unearthed evidence pointing to the involvement of Basha. Though the cop absconded for a few months, he was nabbed in September. Another police officer, Special Sub-Inspector and erstwhile Head Constable Subburaj, was also taken into custody. Some more arrests of officers under suspicion are likely.

Conspirators within?
Kapoor spoke at length about the role played by each of these individuals in the idol-smuggling racket. The Hindu has cross-checked his allegations with independent sources. What emerged was a disturbing picture of India’s cultural heritage being plundered by an organised network of traffickers emboldened by a venal police force.

In particular, it was Khader Basha, Kapoor said, who regularly smuggled and sold idols from a number of temples. Apparently, the cop often did it under the guise of taking them to a central storage facility for “safekeeping from idol thieves”.

TH21new%20Ariyalur%20mapbw


According to Kapoor, in most cases where some sort of a paper trail or inventory could not be avoided, the stolen original would be replaced by a sophisticated fake. If this was indeed the practice of the antique thieves, then it means that every single storage facility for idols, including the Government Museum in Egmore, Chennai — the site where the 250 statues seized from Deenadayalan’s Chennai home are being held — would require inspections and inventory analyses.

Conversations with investigators in other branches of the Indian government, and in the U.S., make it abundantly clear that they are frustrated with the plodding pace of the probe in Tamil Nadu, especially after Kapoor’s arrest.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, some officials admitted to being wary of passing on too much information to the Tamil Nadu police. In 2015, a team of American investigators visited India – as they had done the previous year – to take the Kapoor case forward through discussions. But their counterparts in Tamil Nadu police were either unprepared – or unwilling – to facilitate the interviews. The Americans returned home from Mumbai, without setting foot in Tamil Nadu.

Why did this happen? What was the exact role of the Tamil Nadu police in the investigation? Was Basha a rogue agent of Kapoor?

In Kapoor’s own words, it was the idol “inventory” of Deenadayalan that Basha actively targeted in the mid- to late 2000s. When Kapoor visited Chennai in 2006, he was told by certain Bangladeshi dealers that Basha was “looking for him.” The following year Basha reportedly threatened Deenadayalan with the arrest of his family members unless the latter paid him for getting two idols, reportedly the Nataraja and Parvati of Srivilliputhur, restored by Punusamy.

Punusamy is a Singapore-based antiques dealer who some officials consider to be Kapoor’s girlfriend. But Kapoor’s lawyer, Kingston Jerold, blames her for maligning Kapoor. Jerold said that after the two fell out over certain transactions, Kapoor sued her for business liabilities to the tune of S$3.5 million.

Not surprisingly, Kapoor did not dwell on the fact that it was he who had introduced Punusamy and Basha to each other. In any case, around 2010 or 2011, Basha went to New Delhi to collect money from a dealer. Here too, in what seems like a textbook case of extortion, he used the threat of arrest to extract payment. (The names of the individuals involved are being withheld owing to the sensitivity of the case.)

Kapoor blamed Basha for implicating him in the idol theft racket because, he said, he refused to pay Basha a bribe. While conceding that Manickavel was not involved in these nefarious activities, he asserted that the police officer seemed to believe too easily every one of Basha’s allegations. Manickavel, during an interview, would not talk about Basha, except to predict his eventual arrest.

Fact-checking
Are Kapoor’s claims credible? When The Hindu cross-checked his account with senior intelligence officials not associated with the Tamil Nadu government, it became evident that the information about Basha taking money from Kapoor was passed on to the Tamil Nadu police as early as 2012. This evidence had been gathered via electronic surveillance by one of the teams that was tracking the Kapoor case closely.

When Prateep Philip, Additional Director-General of Police of the Tamil Nadu police and erstwhile superior of Manickavel, was informed of the connection between Kapoor and Basha in June 2016, reliable sources confirm that he seemed genuinely unaware of this link. But shortly after, Basha was removed from the Deenadayalan case.

Additional clues, all confirmed by intelligence sources, suggest that Basha was deeply involved in the network of idol smugglers. One such indicator was the fact that despite pressure from other agencies, the police team led by Basha was initially unwilling to raid the Indo-Nepal Gallery in Mumbai. It was suspected that stolen idols held by two antique dealers, Vallabh Prakash and his son Aditya Prakash, were stored at this gallery.

Apparently, it was only after it became clear that other investigators may raid the location that the Idol Wing finally moved, and in November 2016, secured around 13 sixth century idols stolen from the Sri Narambunatha Swamy Temple of Pazhavoor, Tirunelveli district.

21THNATARAJA



Senior officials familiar with the case said that it was impossible for Basha to have not been aware of the pivotal role played by the Indo-Nepal Gallery in the idol-smuggling network. Another major clue was that after Kapoor’s arrest in 2011, some stolen statues that had not yet been shipped out of India were mysteriously and anonymously ‘surrendered’ to the Tamil Nadu police. It is said that an American investigating officer who was also working on the case was “aghast” that such a transaction could be engineered by certain elements within the Tamil Nadu police.

Manickavel’s account is not as much at odds with this narrative of complicity as one might expect. Without naming any suspects, he agreed that the practice of replacing real idols with fakes, and selling off the originals at astronomical prices in the West, was a regular occurrence.

However, he emphasised that such thefts were more common in the cases of abandoned temples than with those in active use, and this was why, he said, the records were often incomplete and details so scant on what idol had been stolen when.

But it is also possible that in numerous cases, the temple “inventory” lists, which are typically maintained by the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department, are suspect. The Hindu is in possession of one such register for the Suthamalli Varadaraja Perumal temple, where the original list of idols stated to be in the temple premises varies from a second list that seems to have been randomly tacked on at a later date.

Endgame for Kapoor
So what are the options when it comes to recovering more idols and busting other branches of antique smuggling networks that are still in operation? Officials speaking off the record said that the evidentiary standards were relatively high in the U.S. and therefore it is harder to obtain arrest and search warrants for other members of the Kapoor clan.

The same is true of persons unrelated to the Kapoor family, including alleged smuggler and Indian-American businessman Vijay Nanda. He was arrested in Mumbai earlier this year but his New York City gallery could not be raided. Thus, all that the prosecutors are left with are Kapoor and, since September 2017, Basha.



Idol%20theft



While it is too early to expect further arrests, the million dollar question one is left with is this: does it still make sense to pin the entire operations of the criminal network on Kapoor?

Besides, idols continue to be stolen from temples even after Kapoor’s arrest. So why is the primary case against him being dragged on in this fashion? Is it because he is a convenient scapegoat for Indian authorities, who would be forced to show results if they closed the cases against him and returned him to the U.S. for prosecution?

Interestingly, though he’s been in prison for five years, no case against Kapoor has reached the conviction stage. Jerold said that the charge-sheeting of Kapoor in another case (the Pazhavoor idols case in Sriperumbudur), and his transfer out of Chennai’s Puzhal jail, were both in violation of the agreement that the Indian government had made with Germany. Manickavel disputed this on the grounds that under Section 21(c) of the Extradition Act of India (1962 Amendment), there is no bar against charge-sheeting a suspect, only against trial.

Demand and supply
Moving back from the Kapoor case to the bigger picture, investigators are gradually coming around to the view that a two-pronged approach is necessary to halt the steady outflow of high-value antiques from India.

First, it is vital to tackle the supply side by honing law enforcement methods that target idol thieves and their hidden institutional collaborators.

Second, develop new methods to blunt the unceasing demand for antiques from deep-pocketed museums and galleries across the developed world, with a special focus on institutions where rigorous vetting of idol provenance is not being done. Given that document forgery is the grease that keeps the wheels of the underground antiques market in motion, no effort must be spared in cracking down on this aspect, experts say.

Meanwhile, as Kapoor makes his way back to his cell, he cuts a forlorn figure, lost in a realm of misery that couldn’t be further removed from the luxurious cocktail parties where he introduced New York’s gallerists to the aesthetic delights of south Indian temple art.
 
http://www.thehindu.com/news/nation...ug-300-ft-tunnel-arrested/article19894361.ece

20VJOGTREASURE

Uncovering the tricks: Umamaheswara Rao explaining their treasure hunt operation . | Photo Credit: Kommuri Srinivas

NELLORE, October 21, 2017 09:22 IST
Updated: October 21, 2017 09:22 IST
http://www.thehindu.com/news/nation...ug-300-ft-tunnel-arrested/article19894361.ece

Accused were in search of ancient idols in Prakasam district

The police nabbed a gang of treasure hunters and two self-styled gurujis on the charges of carrying out blasts and illegally digging a tunnel in search of ancient idols in the Puliguha hillocks near Kocharlakota village in Donakonda mandal in Prakasam district on Friday.

The main accused Surasani Ravindra Reddy was arrested along with his supervisors, explosives suppliers, financiers and other accomplices.

Siddhanti Bandi Umamaheswara Rao of Ajitsinghnagar, Vijayawada, and Doddala Dharmendra alias Guruji Rayudu of Mangalagiri town were held on the charges of cheating and conspiring with the gangsters to launch the treasure hunt.

SP B. Satya Yesu Babu said that 175 kg of gelatin sticks, 91 electrical detonators, drilling machines, 10 kg ammonium nitrate, two generators and one compressor tractor were seized from the arrested.The gangsters had dug up a 300-ft tunnel in the hillocks in search of hidden treasure when the police unearthed their illegal activity. When the local cattle grazers questioned them about the blasts, the gangsters had claimed that it was for the sake of testing quality of rocks there.

Lure of easy money

Ravindra Reddy masterminded the treasure hunt after his growing debts forced him to look for ways of making easy money.

A native of Madavaram village in Kanigiri mandal, Ravindra Reddy studied Agricultural MBA in Uttaranchal and rose up to the position of country manager at an agro-products company earning up to ₹30 lakh per year. Because of his increasing interest in commodities trading and real estate, he quit his job. He soon started losing heavily and accumulated ₹1 crore debts. At this time, he consulted a self-styled guruji, Umamaheswara Rao, and spent nearly ₹47 lakh for conducting pujas and finding treasures. Mr. Reddy later met ‘Guruji’ Rayudu and believed in his story that while conducting some elaborate pujas, he saw valuable ancient idols of gods and goddesses kept in seven underground rooms in Puliguha hillocks.They began digging with the help of explosives and nearly 50 labourers, who were asked to wake up early, have a bath and keep lemons in their pockets while taking part in the excavation works.
Prakasam district - Wikipedia

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http://www.thehindu.com/news/nation...n-with-idol-theft-tiruchi/article20110578.ece

TIRUCHI

The Idol Wing CID Police on Friday arrested two persons, including a retired temple Executive Officer, in connection with theft of six metal idols from Sri Pasupatheeswarar Temple at Pandanallur in Thanjavur district a few years ago.

The accused, A. Ramachandran (63), the retired EO of the temple, and Raja (37), a Head Clerk currently under suspension, were produced before Kumbakonam Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Court and remanded in judicial custody.

Police sources said the six idols, including those of Valli, Deivanai and Vinayakar, belonging to a couple of temples at Keezhamanakudi and Srirangarajapuram villages, were kept under safe custody at the Pasupatheewarar temple years ago. The idols used to be taken to the respective village temples during festivals.

The sources said the idols were found missing from the Pasupatheeswarar temple during an audit conducted by Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department officials a few years ago.

A complaint was lodged with the police in this connection. The Idol Wing CID Police, which took up the case a few months ago, conducted investigation and arrested Ramachandran and Raja.
 
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Amarnath stupa is displayed in Louvre Museum in Dubai. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

http://www.thehindu.com/news/nation...aises-doubt/article20242825.ece?homepage=true

Amaravati relief could have been procured from Subhash Kapoor, says researcher

The prestigious Louvre Museum has had a grand opening of its Abu Dhabi branch. But even before the inauguration, charges started flying that the artefacts on display include one allegedly procured from antique smuggler Subhash Kapoor.

S. Vijayakumar, a heritage enthusiast of India Pride, said, “We are shocked to notice that the list of prestigious buys include a relief from Amaravati. Our research shows that this was a direct purchase from Subhash Kapoor. Hope they can acknowledge this piece and ensure that the Louvre’s famous clean-up policy starts from home.”

Mr. Vijayakumar claimed that a video of the new museum available on Saturday clearly showed that the Amaravati artefact was very much on display.

This fragment was sold by Subhash Kapoor and it has now been proven that Kapoor’s associates in India sold similar Amaravati fragments to him.

A few of them were secured from the now arrested smuggler Deenadayalan’s godown in Chennai during a raid last year.

Sourcing Amaravati fragments from Chennai, Kapoor reportedly sold to the National Gallery of Australia, Asian Civilizations Museum in Singapore and the Louvre.

Following the raid, investigators said Deenadayalan might have been behind the looting of artefacts from Amaravati, an important archaeological site in Andhra Pradesh where he grew up. A few Amaravati architectural fragments were seized from him.

Mr. Vijayakumar claims that the Louvre has not made the provenance paperwork on this purchase public, adding that it was rather evident in the cover photo of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) press release,” Mr. Vijayakumar said.

Art enthusiasts say that the best practice is for such prestigious institutions to review their collections and be inspired by the National Gallery of Australia and take efforts to return objects that are proven to be stolen.

A.G. Ponn Manickavel, Inspector General of Police, Idol Wing, told The Hindu, “If any one provides conclusive evidence that the artefact to be displayed at the Louvre’s new unit in Abu Dhabi was stolen from India, we will not hesitate to initiate action and bring it back.”
 
Ministry of Culture
22-March, 2018 17:04 IST
27 antiquities retrieved from foreign countries during last 3 years: Dr. Mahesh Sharma

Twenty seven antiquities have been retrieved from foreign countries during the last three years (2014-2017), out of which eleven antiquities are of Tamil Nadu.

There are no records available with Archaeological Survey of India regarding ancient idols, sculptures and statues deposited in various museums across the world as well as in private possession. Whenever any illegally exported objects/antiquities of Indian origin surface in a foreign country, efforts are made through Indian Missions abroad for their retrieval.

The antiquities which have been retrieved include stone sculpture of Brahma and Brahamani from U.K., Stone image of Durga from USA, sandstone image of Nataraja in dancing posture from USA, seated Buddha from Australia, Parrot Lady from Canada, metal image of Bahubali from USA among others.

This information was given by Minister of State (IC) for Culture and Minister of State for Environment, Forest & Climate Change Dr. Mahesh Sharma in a written reply in Lok Sabha today.



*****
 
TH16STATUE

Found at last: The Buddha statue displayed at the High Commission of India in London on Wednesday. | Photo Credit: AP

https://www.thehindu.com/news/inter...ravel-back-after-57-years/article24698249.ece

London , August 15, 2018 22:04 IST
Updated: August 15, 2018 22:04 IST


London police recover 12th century icon stolen from Nalanda museum and return it to India
A ‘priceless’ 12th century bronze Buddha statue that was stolen from Bihar 57 years ago has been returned by British police to the Indian High Commission in London.

The statue that was stolen from the Archaeological Survey of India site museum in Nalanda, along with 13 others in 1961, was identified at a trade fair in London in March this year by Lynda Albertson of the Association for Research into Crimes Against Art and Vijay Kumar of the India Pride Project – a volunteer-based, crowd-sourced project that works to track down and return stolen heritage.

The case was taken over by the Metropolitan Police’s Art and Antiques Unit, which was re-instituted recently after its detectives had been seconded to the investigation into the Grenfell Tower fire here last year.

The Archaeological Survey of India helped confirm the icon’s identity.

Police said they believed the statue had changed hands several times before it was handed over to a London dealer to be sold. Both the dealer and the owner had cooperated with the police, who did not suspect criminal activity on their part.

Coming home

Detective Chief Inspector Sheila Stewart of the Metropolitan Police said they were delighted to be able to return a “piece of history” to where it belonged and highlighted the work as an “excellent example” of what could be achieved through the close work of law enforcement, trade and scholars, and international collaboration, including that of informants who had made them aware of its location.

High Commissioner Y.K. Sinha said the statue would be returned to where it came from. Michael Ellis, Britain’s Minister for Arts, Heritage and Tourism said it was an example of Britain’s “cultural diplomacy” in action.

In recent years, many artefacts have been returned to India from abroad: in 2016 over 200 stolen artefacts were returned by the U.S. during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit. Australia returned three sculptures including a 3rd century rock carving. This year, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York said it would return a stone sculpture of Durga Mahishasuramardini, from Baijnath temple in Himachal Pradesh and the head of a deity from Nagarjunakonda museum in Andhra Pradesh.
 
https://www.thehindu.com/news/natio...ssing-idols/article24728338.ece?homepage=true

Chennai, August 19, 2018 00:26 IST
Updated: August 19, 2018 00:26 IST

The hunt for missing idols and figurines from temples has, over the last few months, turned into a bitter clash between two arms of the government – the Idol Wing of the Crime Branch CID and the HR&CE Department. The arrest of senior HR&CE officials has brought matters to a head. Charges of ‘bullying’ and rebuttals of ‘zero bias’ are flying thick and fast.

A couple of weeks ago, senior staff members of the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Department threatened to go on long leave, claiming they were fed up with “action” taken against their colleagues. They objected to the “bullying” and “arm-twisting” they were being subjected to, and claimed they were “being made to give confessions implicating co-workers.”

The department’s workforce, comprising around 1,000 persons, including 11 regional joint commissioners, 28 assistant commissioners and 300-odd executive officers, have been shaken to the core by the arrest of senior colleagues on what they claim are “impossible allegations” of misappropriation of gold collected for the making of utsava murthis (icons used in processions) and collusion with idol thieves.

  • Risk Assessment Report gave a district-wise break-up of the number of idol theft cases registered
  • The report was sent to SPs of 30 districts in the State in 2013
  • The Madras High Court formed a Special Investigation Team in July last year
  • In the year since the team’s formation, 12 crimes have been detected, 20 idols recovered, including the famous idols of Raja Raja Chola and Lokamadevi, and more than 40 persons arrested
The hunt for missing idols and figurines from temples spanning several continents has, over the last few months, turned into a bitter clash between two arms of the government – the Idol Wing of the Crime Branch CID and the HR&CE Department.

Things came to a head in end-September when the Idol Wing of the Crime Branch CID arrested M. Kavitha, Additional Commissioner (Thirupani) of the HR&CE Department, on suspicion of involvement in the misappropriation of funds and gold collected towards making two new idols at the Sri Ekambareswar Temple in Kancheepuram. At least one former commissioner, an additional commissioner, a couple of executive officers and a senior sthapathi, who is a Padma Shri awardee, have been arrested and are out on conditional bail. Additional commissioner (general) and a leading industrialist have recently obtained anticipatory bail in matters pertaining to thirupani (works) carried out in temples at various points of time.

Early arrests questioned

D. Nagasaila, advocate and human rights activist of the People’s Union for Civil Liberties, questioned the necessity of arresting these officials at such an early stage in the case. “The Supreme Court has time and again said that people should not be arrested for the sake of arresting. Section 41A of the Criminal Procedure Code was brought in to curtail abuse by the police. The additional commissioner (HR&CE) does not have any sanctioning authority. She only pushes files to the commissioner. There is no requirement to arrest a person unless they don’t cooperate with the investigation or are tampering with evidence,” she said, adding that these issues could have been dealt with at the department level. “These involve files and papers that are with them. Before you arrest someone you can summon them and enquire into the matter. The arrest can be even done after the chargesheet has been filed, trial conducted and the person found guilty,” Ms. Nagasaila added.

The manner in which a few persons are being targeted is being questioned by former HR&CE officials. “The officer who is said to have collected the gold from devotees to make the icon of Somaskandar at the Ekambareswarar temple in Kancheepuram continues to carry out his duties. If they say the arrested officials and those related to the thiruppani works are involved in selling idols and icons, let the police find the idols first. Industrialist Venu Srinivasan has spent several crores on temples, including the Nava Tirupati sthalams where even the surrounding villages have been given a new lease of life. The Srirangam utsava idol actually requires four people to carry it. So allegations of idols going missing are baseless. What is required is proper investigation by a competent agency,” said an office-bearer of the HR&CE Officers Association.

From 1920 to 2017, a total of 2,145 icons and 478 idols have gone missing from 803 temples. These numbers are based on complaints preferred by temple officials to the police. Of this only around 60 have been recovered, and 18 have been restored to temples. Around 390 idols belonging to 33 temples remain non-traceable. “We don’t see the Idol Wing members going behind these idols. They are only taking up cases in which some allegations are made by individuals, who seem to have personal agendas. We are not saying do not investigate. These allegations have to be thoroughly verified before taking action,” said a retired HR&CE official.

Crossing the line

Many are of the view that the Idol Wing is overstepping its brief. The wing was formed in 1983, and in 2000 it was brought under the control of the Economic Offences Wing. G. Thilakavathi, retired IPS officer who headed the wing for some time, explained that its primary functions were to investigate cases of theft of idols and antiques exceeding a value of ₹5 lakh, idol theft cases referred to it by the State government, coordinate the investigation of important idol theft cases and collect intelligence about the nefarious activities of antique dealers and art collectors.

“We have traced idols that left our shores and travelled to many places in coordination with several agencies including Scotland Yard. It takes a lot of patience to trace and get an idol back to the temple. There are still many idols and icons lying in the vault of the wing. Bronzes are usually stolen by people thinking they will contain a lot of gold but when they check using the services of a goldsmith, they don’t even find traces. They then would leave the idols in places like railway stations. We have recovered icons from Arakkonam railway station, Chengalpattu tank and even Koyambedu bus terminus,” she recalled. “The Idol Wing cannot work on its own; it should report to senior officers,” a former senior police officer said, adding, “unnecessary arrests are happening and the court is not questioning them.”

The HR&CE Department has been demanding a fair probe into cases of missing idols. “If there are officials involved, we would be the last to protect them. We are dealing with public property here and cannot be careless. All that we want is a proper probe into the thefts of ancient idols. Issues pertaining to the making of recent idols would be looked into and action taken if need be,” said HR&CE Commissioner R. Jaya.

(Inputs from S. Sundar and Tilak Chander from Madurai and R. Rajaram from Tiruchi)
 
https://www.thehindu.com/news/citie...er-36-years/article24911137.ece?homepage=true

A Nataraja statue from Kallidaikurichi was sold to an Australian museum for ₹30 crore

A Nataraja idol, smuggled from the Kulasekaramudayar Aramvalartha Nayaki Amman temple at Kallidaikurichi in Tirunelveli district, was traced to Australia.

A museum in Australia had bought the statue for ₹30 crore and a team headed by Inspector General of Police (IG) A.G. Ponn Manickavel, who had specially been appointed by the court, was able to trace the idol.

The team also succeeded in collecting the identities of those who were behind the heist.

The two-and-a-half-foot idol weighing around 100 kg was smuggled from the temple . The 600-year-old idol belonged to the Pandiya period. It is on display at the museum without daily poojas.

“Along with the Nataraja idol, the two-feet Sivakami idol was also smuggled. It was recovered after sometime and returned to the temple, but it may not be the original piece. We are making efforts to trace the original idol,” a senior official of the investigation team told The Hindu.


Case transferred

Other panchaloka idols smuggled from the temple are one-and-a-half feet Manickavasagar and one-foot Sribali Nayagar. In 1984, the Tirunelveli district police wound up the case saying that the idols were undetected.

A few years ago, the case was handed over to the court-appointed idol investigation team and the two officials Ashok Natarajan and Rajaram succeeded in tracing the idol.

“We will follow the procedures followed in bringing back the Pathur Nataraja idol and the Arthanareeswarar statue from Virudhachalam,” said the senior official.

Other idols
Almost 90% of the idols recovered by the team belong to the Chola period and the Nataraja idol from Kallidaikurichi is from Pandiya period.

The temple was constructed by Kulasekara Pandian.

“The temple has 15 panchaloka idols and we are also investigating to ascertain whether the old idols have been stolen after keeping new pieces instead,” said the officials.
 

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