Two antique idols stolen 50 years ago traced to U.S.

New Delhi: The idol Wing-CID has traced the stolen antique idols of Yoganarasimha and Ganesha, belonging to the Venugopal Swamy Temple at Alathur in Tiruvarur district, to the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, Missouri, USA. They were suspected to have been stolen 50 years ago and replaced with replicas.

In a complaint lodged in 2017at Vikrapandiyam police in Tiruvarur, S. Nagaranjan, inspector of the Department of Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments, Mannargudi, alleged burglary of the antique metal idols of Vishnu, Sridevi, and Bhudevi, which belonged to the Venugopal Swamy Temple and which were kept at the Viswanatha Swamy Temple in the same village for safe custody. He said a few remaining idols were handed over to the Tiruvarur Icon Centre for safe custody.

He requested the recovery of the idols of Vishnu, Sridevi, and Bhudevi, which were stolen around 50 years ago. The Vikrapandiyam station registered a case, and it was taken up for investigation by the Idol Wing-CID.