A Lord Murugan idol, along with other precious articles, has been stolen from a temple in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. The idol was placed in the sanctum sanctorum of the Sri Maragadha Bala Dhandayuthapani Murugan Temple at Perukaranai village near Madurantakam in Chennai.
The theft was discovered when temple priests and administrators arrived on Wednesday morning and found the idol of Balamurugan Dhandayuthapani Swamy and several silver articles missing. The temple, locally called Nadupalani Murugan Temple or Nadu Palani, reportedly has three iron doors protecting the sanctum sanctorum. The thieves somehow managed to break into the sanctum sanctoram and steal the idol.
The idol and other idols were intact inside the sanctum sanctorum on Tuesday night when the temple priest locked the temple doors after performing the routine evening rituals. The priest went home after locking the temple doors. The next morning, when he arrived at the temple, he found the doors of the sanctum sanctorum damaged and the idol and some silver articles missing.
The police reached the temple, which is managed by a private trust, after getting information about the theft. The police conducted a detailed inspection of the spot while fingerprint experts collected evidence. The police also examined the CCTV cameras installed near the temple. A complaint was filed with the police in connection with the theft, based on which an FIR was lodged under sections 331(4) and 305(d) of the BNS. The police have launched an investigation into the case.
The 2.25-foot-tall idol carved entirely out of emerald was reportedly installed at the temple in 2008 by the Ganapathy Sachidananda Swamigal Trust of Mysuru at an estimated cost of around ₹3 lakh at the time.
Rampant idol thefts in Tamil Nadu
Cases of idol theft have been rampant in the state of Tamil Nadu. Last week, the Idol Smuggling Prevention Unit of the Tamil Nadu police found 5 ancient idols during raids at the office of businessman Ranvir Shah. The raids were conducted in connection with an earlier idol smuggling case that goes back to 2016.
In 2018, due to rising idol theft cases, the Tamil Nadu government decided to hand over the investigation of all such cases to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The same year, ancient idols stolen from Tamil Nadu were traced to a museum in Ahmedabad after 50 years. Ancient bronze statues, estimated to be valued at approximately ₹100 crore, were found in the Calico Museum in Ahmedabad. A case was registered by the Idol Smuggling Prevention Unit of the Tamil Nadu police in the matter.
In August 2021, seven kalasams (brass pots), placed atop the four towers of Manjal Neer Kootha Ayyanar temple on the southern bank of Kollidam river at Vilangudi village near Thiruvaiyaru in Tamil Nadu, were stolen.
Thefts of idols have also been reported in other states across the country. In July 2021, a team of the Tamil Nadu Idol Wing CID seized four antique metal idols of Hindu gods and goddesses from a house in Puducherry. In the same month, the Delhi Police arrested two men who had broken into a temple in Outer Delhi’s Rajpark area and stolen nine brass vessels.
