Chennai: Officials of the idol wing of the economic offences wing on Friday arrested four persons from a hotel in the heart of the city who were planning to sell two stolen ancient idols, worth over 5 crore in the international market.The police team seized a one-foot tall pancha loha idol of Vishnu, believed to have been stolen from a temple in Sathyamangalam and a small idol of lord Buddha.
The arrested people included an employee of a private Tamil television channel who also posed a police officer, a fake lawyer and a fake Army officer.
According to ADGP, EOW, Prateep Philip, two of the suspects, John, (35), and Siva (36), are natives of Ulsur in Bengaluru. While John posed as an Army Major, Siva was his associate. The other two were identified as Rajesh and Devaraj. Rajesh is an employee of a private TV channel who used a car with police sticker while Devaraj claimed to be a lawyer. John was in the Army for five years as a soldier but posed as a Major, said sources.
Devaraj and Rajesh were acting as local brokers for selling the idols while John and Siva had procured the idols from the smugglers and were hoping to the find buyers through their local agent.
A police team rounded up all the suspects at a hotel in Nungambakkam.Though the local value of the idols would around Rs 50 lakh, the police estimates that the value of the idols could be Rs 5 crore in the international market. Rajesh and Devaraj were promised a commission of Rs 15 lakh for selling the idols. Rajesh, son a retired special sub inspector, was a resident of police quarters in T. Nagar.
