The Idol Wing police on Thursday recovered antique idols and artefacts worth several crores of rupees from the house of businessman Ranvir Shah at Srinagar Colony in Saidapet. The idols were purchased by Mr. Shah from an unlicensed dealer of antiques, the police said.
A prominent personality in Chennai, Mr. Shah operates in the art, architecture and cultural spheres. A businessman and exporter, he is the founder-trustee of the Prakriti Foundation that organises theatre festivals, poetry-reading sessions and other cultural activities.
A police team, led by Inspector General of Police A.G. Ponn Manickavel, entered his house with a search warrant from the Chief Judicial Magistrate Court, Kumbakonam, on Thursday morning. Mr. Shah was not at his home when the search was conducted. Antique stone idols, stone pillars, pilasters with carvings, many sculptures including those of nandis and bronze idols of Hindu deities were found in the house. The police loaded the artefacts onto lorries and carted them away after a two-hour operation. The search was conducted as part of an investigation by the Idol Wing police, which seized a treasure trove of stolen antique idols and artefacts from the Chennai home of G. Deenadayalan, a trader in arts and artefacts, in 2016.
‘Sold without licence’
According to the police, investigation revealed that he could have sold the artefacts to Mr. Shah, and hence, the search was conducted. Mr. Manickavel said he had reasonable ground to believe the artefacts were stolen from temples. “That is why we obtained a warrant from the court,” he said.
In total, the Idol Wing police recovered 89 items including stone idols, 12 metal idols and 22 huge pillars.
