More idols could have been stolen from Big Temple: Cops

The revelation comes day after the sleuths managed to take possession of two 1,000-year-old bronze idols of Rajaraja Chola and his queen Lokamadevi, which went missing from the temple more than 50 years ago.

“We believe that more idols had gone missing from the temple in the past. We have questioned many senior citizens to gather evidence and hope to arrest the suspects soon. Most of the idols were stolen after replacing them with fakes,” an Idol Wing officer said. “About 20 idols are missing from the temple,” the officer noted. 

Meanwhile, the two Chola-era bronze idols of Rajaraja and his queen Lokamadevi, were brought to Chennai on Thursday. The idols worth over Rs 150-crore were retrieved from a private museum in Ahmedabad.

The two idols would now be returned to the Big Temple in the next three days, said Inspector General of Police AG Pon Manickavel, who interacted with media representatives at the Central railway station here on Thursday evening.

Pon Manickavel, who led a team to retrieve the idols from the Calico Museum in Ahmedabad, said efforts would continue to recover such stolen idols. Police are yet to make any arrests in connection with the two idols retrieved from the Calico Museum.

“We registered a case of two idols missing from the Big Temple just three months ago and have retrieved it. We would be installing these idols,” he said. The idols of Rajaraja Chola and Lokamadevi would be taken back to the Brihadeeswarar Temple in three days, he added. When asked if any arrest has been made in connection with the stolen idols, the officer said that none had been booked so far. “But, we will nab the culprits,” he added.