09-08-2009, 07:56 AM
<b>Crooks thrive as idols vanish from temples</b>
September 7th, 2009
By Our Correspondent
Hyderabad
Sept. 6: Itâs not just the jewellery of gods and goddesses that disappear in the state. The very idols are stolen by organised gangs with networks across the borders.
<b>The number of cases of idol thefts and smuggling are on rise in the state.</b> And some of the stolen idols are never recovered. Hyderabad is the hub of the idol theft racket. Idols of Lord Janardhana Swami and goddess Sridevi of the Chola period (1,300 years old) were stolen from Guntur district recently and were later recovered by Vijayawada police.
In another case, the idols of Someswara, Ganga, Balatripura Sundari and Vighneswara were stolen from Maddipadu temple and Lakshmana Swami and Rama idols were stolen from Jaladanki and Vinjamuru temples in Nellore district. The modus operandi of gangs led by the buyers and brokers based in Hyderabad and Karnataka is to identify the Idol to be stolen from temples without adequate security and assign the job to the thieves.
âOf late the demand for idols has increased in the international market,â said a top official of the Crime Investigation Department. âIdols from India especially get a good price. The antique collectors of the West spend a fortune to procure ancient sculptures and idols of the Indian origin. This is causing increased thefts.â
Once the idol crosses the district borders it is very difficult for police to track it or trace the thieves. According to State Crime Records Bureau 94 idol theft cases were registered in 2008 as against 90 cases in 2007 showing an increase of 4.4 per cent. In 2006, there were 76 cases of idol thefts.
Guntur district registered highest number of idol thefts followed by Nalgonda, Prakasham, Warangal, Mahaboobnagar and Khammam. âOne idol theft occurred in Tripurantakam and the other in Chirala Saibaba Temple and both are still undetected,â said the Prakasham superintendent of police, Mr V. Naveen Chand.
He added that the thefts take place mostly in the temples in interior areas where there are no security men.
âThese temples are locked at nights but as there is no security, the robbers break into them and make away with the Panchaloha idols,â said the SP. âOrdinary thieves will not resort to these offences. There are organised gangs behind this. We had detected 15 out of 27 cases reported this year.â
Endowments officials said that robbers have also stolen idols from temples which are guarded after assaulting the security personnel and priests. Stolen idols from the State are reportedly smuggled out to be sold in Delhi and Mumbai. Investigators have learnt that at the local level, thieves are paid Rs 10,000 to Rs 20,000 for each Idol they steal from the temple and the brokers sell it for Rs 1 lakh or Rs 2 lakh. And when they cross the country and reach the international market, the idols are valued in crores.
<b>The endowments department has failed to improve the security at the temples in remote areas and it has also not used the services of archaeology department to register the precious idols.</b> âThe public does not want the idols of main deities to be shifted for safekeeping,â said the commissioner of endowments, Mr P. Sundara Kumar. âThey feel that the idols have to be kept in the temple. Despite this, we have directed that panchaloha idols be taken to safe lockers.â
He, however, added that the department does not have a monitoring system to keep track of idol thefts. âWe havenât noticed cases in which idols of huge value have been stolen,â said Mr Kumar. âWe are recruiting home guards and private security agencies and are also installing CC cameras in temples.â
Task Force sleuths recently arrested a gang which was trying to sell three priceless panchaloha idols reportedly belonging to the Sri Krishnadevaraya period to an antique dealer in the city. The idols of Lord Venugopala Swamy, Goddesses Bhudevi and Sri Devi were brought from a person in Markapuram in Prakasam district.
âWe are nabbing these gangs whenever we get information,â said Mr V. Kamalasan Reddy of the Hyderabad Police Commissionerâs Task Force.
September 7th, 2009
By Our Correspondent
Hyderabad
Sept. 6: Itâs not just the jewellery of gods and goddesses that disappear in the state. The very idols are stolen by organised gangs with networks across the borders.
<b>The number of cases of idol thefts and smuggling are on rise in the state.</b> And some of the stolen idols are never recovered. Hyderabad is the hub of the idol theft racket. Idols of Lord Janardhana Swami and goddess Sridevi of the Chola period (1,300 years old) were stolen from Guntur district recently and were later recovered by Vijayawada police.
In another case, the idols of Someswara, Ganga, Balatripura Sundari and Vighneswara were stolen from Maddipadu temple and Lakshmana Swami and Rama idols were stolen from Jaladanki and Vinjamuru temples in Nellore district. The modus operandi of gangs led by the buyers and brokers based in Hyderabad and Karnataka is to identify the Idol to be stolen from temples without adequate security and assign the job to the thieves.
âOf late the demand for idols has increased in the international market,â said a top official of the Crime Investigation Department. âIdols from India especially get a good price. The antique collectors of the West spend a fortune to procure ancient sculptures and idols of the Indian origin. This is causing increased thefts.â
Once the idol crosses the district borders it is very difficult for police to track it or trace the thieves. According to State Crime Records Bureau 94 idol theft cases were registered in 2008 as against 90 cases in 2007 showing an increase of 4.4 per cent. In 2006, there were 76 cases of idol thefts.
Guntur district registered highest number of idol thefts followed by Nalgonda, Prakasham, Warangal, Mahaboobnagar and Khammam. âOne idol theft occurred in Tripurantakam and the other in Chirala Saibaba Temple and both are still undetected,â said the Prakasham superintendent of police, Mr V. Naveen Chand.
He added that the thefts take place mostly in the temples in interior areas where there are no security men.
âThese temples are locked at nights but as there is no security, the robbers break into them and make away with the Panchaloha idols,â said the SP. âOrdinary thieves will not resort to these offences. There are organised gangs behind this. We had detected 15 out of 27 cases reported this year.â
Endowments officials said that robbers have also stolen idols from temples which are guarded after assaulting the security personnel and priests. Stolen idols from the State are reportedly smuggled out to be sold in Delhi and Mumbai. Investigators have learnt that at the local level, thieves are paid Rs 10,000 to Rs 20,000 for each Idol they steal from the temple and the brokers sell it for Rs 1 lakh or Rs 2 lakh. And when they cross the country and reach the international market, the idols are valued in crores.
<b>The endowments department has failed to improve the security at the temples in remote areas and it has also not used the services of archaeology department to register the precious idols.</b> âThe public does not want the idols of main deities to be shifted for safekeeping,â said the commissioner of endowments, Mr P. Sundara Kumar. âThey feel that the idols have to be kept in the temple. Despite this, we have directed that panchaloha idols be taken to safe lockers.â
He, however, added that the department does not have a monitoring system to keep track of idol thefts. âWe havenât noticed cases in which idols of huge value have been stolen,â said Mr Kumar. âWe are recruiting home guards and private security agencies and are also installing CC cameras in temples.â
Task Force sleuths recently arrested a gang which was trying to sell three priceless panchaloha idols reportedly belonging to the Sri Krishnadevaraya period to an antique dealer in the city. The idols of Lord Venugopala Swamy, Goddesses Bhudevi and Sri Devi were brought from a person in Markapuram in Prakasam district.
âWe are nabbing these gangs whenever we get information,â said Mr V. Kamalasan Reddy of the Hyderabad Police Commissionerâs Task Force.