CHENNAI
Idol Wing Police on Thursday arrested a serving Deputy Superintendent of Police on charges of screening antiques thieves/smugglers from facing trial and fabricating false evidence before a court in a 2005 case for stealing and smuggling of 13 precious metal idols from Sri Narumbunathar Temple in Palavoor in Tirunelveli district.
The DSP, N. Jeevanandham, 54, is presently attached to Prohibition and Enforcement Wing of Tiruchi district.
According to the Idol Wing Police, 13 idols, including those of Ananda Natarajar and Goddess Sivakami, valued at ₹ 24 crore, were stolen from the temple by local thieves on the instructions of antiques dealers. While they were being transported, one of the accused murdered another in a dispute over sharing the booty. They also damaged the hands of the idols intending to get some gold from them.
Nine of the stolen idols were recovered by the Idol Wing Police. But four of the nine idols were smuggled out of the country with the knowledge of officers, including Jeevanandham, who was then Inspector of Idol Wing. The idols were transported from Mumbai to Hong Kong through a cargo ship and they reached Subash Kapoor’s art gallery in Manhattan, New York. Kapoor also published the picture of Ananda Nadarajar idol for sale of ₹ 15 crore in a catalogue.
The antiques dealers restored the chopped hand of Ananda Nadarajar idol with the help of a professional restorer in London at a cost of ₹ 1 crore before handing it over Kapoor.
The case was investigated by Jeevandham and DSPs Khader Batcha and Mohammed Kasib, who were with the Idol Wing at that time.
Inspector General of Police A.G. Pon Manickavel said, “It was the main intention of officials before 2008 to screen offenders after receiving money from them. We arrested Jeevanandham on Thursday and produced him before a court in Kumbakonam for remand. Investigation is on to probe the involvement of others.”
In the case, Jeevanandham and other police officials fudging facts and screening original offenders filed a charge sheet in the court which conducted the trial. Ninety eight percent of trial was completed with the examination of 28 witnesses. The court was set to deliver judgement in the case in two weeks.
Noticing foul play on the part of investigation officials of the time, Mr. Pon Manickavel stopped the trial and reinvestigated the case. His investigation revealed that the idols were exported illegally and imported back.
