The Hindu : Karnataka News : Two held for bid to sell panchaloha idols

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Dec 17, 2004

Karnataka

Karnataka

Two held for bid to sell panchaloha idols

By Our Staff Correspondent

BELLARY, DEC. 16. The Bellary police have seized three antique panchaloha idols of Rama, Lakshman and Sita and arrested two persons who were trying to sell them. The idols are believed to date back to the Vijayanagar period.

The idol of Rama is 2 ft high while the other two range between 18 and 20 inches.

Each idol weighs between 25 and 30 kg. Police have valued the idols at approximately Rs. 1 crore.

Trap laid

The Superintendent of Police, Pankaj Kumar Thakur, told presspersons here today that a decoy was used to trap those trying to sell the idols. Based on a tip-off that antique idols were being offered for sale, the Brucepet Police Inspector, M.R. Reddy, in consultation with Mr. Thakur, asked the decoy to contact the mediator. The "buyer" was taken to a farm owned by Somalinganagowda at Nagenahalli, around 25 km from Bellary city, and shown the idols.

While "negotiations" were going on, a special squad led by the Police Inspectors of Bellary Rural and Brucepet, Rama Rao and Sudhakar, respectively, raided the place. The sellers attacked the police party with sickles. The police overpowered and arrested them.

Those arrested are Somalinganagowda, said to be a popular person in and around the village and brother of a BJP leader, and Ram Babu, a mechanic from Bellary who acted as the mediator, the police said. A Maruti Omni van owned by Somalinganagowda has been seized. The police are on the lookout for Rama Murthy from neighbouring Andhra Pradesh, Mr. Thakur said.

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