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.
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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.