in vehicle sheds and open spaces on the premises.

Treasure trove

Among these are around 800 antique stone idols and artefacts seized in 2016, when the Idol Wing stumbled upon a treasure trove at the godown and gallery of the antique dealer G. Deenadayalan in Alwarpet.

Subsequently, 200 artefacts - most of them made of wood - were also seized from a bungalow-cum-gallery of one Lakshminarayanan, an associate of Deenadayalan in Kuchikaadu, near Karanai village on the East Coast Road, on the outskirts of Chennai.

The Idol Wing also recovered 244 antique idols and artefacts from businessman Ranvir Shah’s house in Saidapet and two farmhouses in Kancheepuram district. Further investigation led to the unearthing of 23 idols from the Poes Garden premises of businesswoman Kiran Rao.

These antiques were seized when A.G. PonnManickavel was Inspector General of Police of the Idol Wing. Following his superannuation, he is now the court-appointed Special Officer of the special unit.

Long wait

As per Criminal Procedure Code, the antiques are seized by an Investigation officer and are returned to the rightful owner or temple only after the completion of legal proceedings including a trial, which could take several years.

In some instances, however, the Idol Wing has returned the items after they were able to produce claims from temple administrators or villagers in court.

Among these are the famous Kallidaikurichi Nataraja idol, which was retrieved from Australia and returned to the Sri Kulasekaramudaiyar Temple, and another set of idols of Nataraja and consorts, which were returned to the Narumbunathar temple in Thiruppadaimarudur in Tirunelveli. A couple pieces stolen