Three Held, Emerald Murugan Idol Recovered in Chengalpet Temple Theft
The theft occurred at Sri Maragatha Bala Dhandayuthapani Murugan Temple at Perukkaranai village, near Madurantakam. The temple, popularly known among devotees as Nadu Palani, is located on a hill and is known for its rare main deity idol made entirely of emerald.
Chennai: A special police team of the Chengalpet district police has arrested three persons and recovered the rare emerald idol of Lord Muruga stolen from a hilltop temple near Madurantakam earlier this month.
The idol, recovered from the suspects, has been handed over to Madurantakam Revenue Divisional Officer (RDO) , police said. Investigators are probing whether the idol was stolen with the intention of smuggling it abroad.
The theft occurred at Sri Maragatha Bala Dhandayuthapani Murugan Temple at Perukkaranai village, near Madurantakam. The temple, popularly known among devotees as Nadu Palani, is located on a hill and is known for its rare main deity idol made entirely of emerald.
The idol is around 2.5 feet tall and is known for its distinctive green appearance. The temple attracts large crowds during festivals and special occasions, including Panguni Uthiram, Sashti and Thaipusam. Devotees also visit the temple to perform vows such as tonsuring and carrying kavadi.
Given the reported value and rarity of the emerald idol, the temple had installed multiple layers of security around the sanctum sanctorum. Three heavily secured doors had been installed to prevent unauthorised access. An alarm system and CCTV cameras were also in place.
However, during the early hours of September 1, unidentified burglars broke into the temple after allegedly disabling the alarm system and stole the emerald idol. Silver articles kept in the temple were also reported missing.
The burglars are suspected to have disconnected the alarm system and sprayed paint over the CCTV cameras to prevent the recording of their movements.
The theft came to light when priests and temple officials arrived at the temple in the morning and found the idol missing. The Sithamur police rushed to the spot and began an investigation. Senior police officials, including the Chengalpet district Superintendent of Police, also inspected the temple.
Special teams were subsequently formed to trace the suspects and recover the idol.
As part of the investigation, the special teams examined footage from more than 100 CCTV cameras and questioned over 20 persons with previous involvement in idol thefts, police said.
The investigation eventually led the police to three suspects, who were arrested on Sunday. The stolen emerald idol was recovered from a place where the suspects had allegedly concealed it.
The idol was subsequently taken into safe custody at the Madurantakam RDO office.
Police are questioning the three arrested persons to establish the motive behind the theft and determine whether they had planned to transport the idol out of the country. Investigators are also probing whether the suspects are part of a larger network involved in stealing and trafficking antique or valuable temple idols.
