Mumbai: The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) on Monday night seized several antique idols from the residence and godowns of an American businessman of Indian origin, in connection with a smuggling racket busted in Chennai last year.
The agency had in June 2016 arrested Deendayalan, an art dealer alleged to be the mastermind, and had later arrested his grandson and two other accused in last October.
Sources said interrogation of one of the accused arrested in October, who was identified as New Delhi resident Udit Jain, revealed the involvement of Vijay Nanda, a U.S. citizen of Indian origin, who has a house in Girgaum and several godowns in Byculla.
“The search of Nanda’s house revealed figurines and stone sculptures of Hindu deities like ‘Mahishasur Mardini’ and ‘Ganesha’, dating back to the 17th and 18th centuries and even to the 1st century AD. In one of the godowns, we found six large stone idols, which appear to have been stolen from temples in east and south India. There have been attempts to legitimise them by obtaining certificates from the Aracheological Society of India (ASI) by submitting bogus papers,” said a DRI official.
The official said several antiques and figurines from Nanda’s house have been taken into custody to verify their origin.
According to DRI officials, the syndicate obtains sculptures and idols from temples by enlisting the aid of local criminals to steal them, and then obtains certificates from the ASI using forged papers. These antiques are then smuggled abroad, hidden in consignments of furniture, handicrafts or ready-made garments and sold to art collectors and galleries.
“Nanda was involved in arranging auctions for these antiques in the U.S. and Hong Kong. He had flown to India recently to make arrangements for the smuggling of the latest batch. The syndicate has in the past smuggled antiques like Gupta-era coins, post-Mauryan figurines, Rajputana daggers and swords, Chola bronzes, and Tibetan Buddhist statues. Nanda is a prime player in the syndicate with his extensive connections in the U.S., Europe and Hong Kong,” the officer said.
