The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Investigators yet to taste success in icons theft case

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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Investigators yet to taste success in icons theft case

Law enforcers acknowledge that the case is still under investigation, writes R.Rajaram

PHOTO:R.M.RAJARATHINAM.

Government Museum, Tiruchi.

Even after more than a year of the theft of brass and bronze icons from the government museum located in the heart of the city, law enforcers are yet to achieve a breakthrough.

In the absence of concrete clues, the case continues to be a tough nut to crack for the Fort Crime Police under whose jurisdiction the offence occurred in September last year. In the wee hours of September 29, burglars gained entry into the government museum, located just a few metres away from the Fort police station at the Town Hall complex, and decamped with 27 brass and bronze icons of various deities.

The stolen icons, some of which were said to be dating back to the 17 {+t} {+h} century, were of deities such as Krishnar, Nagadevathai, Devi, Kali, Boodevi, Thirumal, Amman, Vinayakar, Natarajar, Sivan and Seetha Amman. These icons were of different sizes ranging from 9 to 54 cm in height.

The culprits sneaked into the museum, functioning in the Rani Mangammal Darbar Hall, through the curator's office situated on the rear side of the museum after cutting open the steel frame of the window. They decamped with the icons kept inside a cupboard after breaking its locks. They also broke the locks of the curator's office grill gate before fleeing the scene of crime.

The Fort Crime Police registered a case on a complaint lodged by the museum curator and formed special teams to narrow in on the culprits. Besides questioning the museum watchman and staff, the investigators checked the profiles of criminals sent by the idol wing, which in addition to investigating idol theft cases referred to it by the State government, collects intelligence information on nefarious activities of antique dealers.

Law enforcers here acknowledge that the case was still “under investigation” and a breakthrough was yet to be achieved. They maintain that they are following the case to track down the culprits.

Museum authorities said they had shifted over 100 metal idols from the Tiruchi Museum to the one in Chennai after the offence was reported. The progress made in the case was being sought from the law enforcers periodically. What remains at the museum now are the sculptures of wood and stone.

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