Police on Wednesday arrested veteran Tamil producer-cum-director V Sekar, 55, on charges of smuggling eight panchaloha idols worth `80 crore. Police said Sekar had kept the idols in his house and gave shelter to some people involved in idol theft. He was arrested from his residence in K K Nagar.
Additional director general of police (idol wing CID) Prateep V Philip said there are 11 more people, including a college student and a robber, involved in the racket. A team has been assigned to apprehend them.Police had arrested Danalingam, a film production manager, and two others in May this year and recovered eight stolen panchaloha idols.
Sekar, a well-known name in the Tamil film industry , runs a production unit called Thiruvalluvar Kalaikoodam, and is known or his multi-starrer family entertainers that deal with the daily struggles of the working class. He has produced films such as `Vira ukketha Veekkam', `Varavu Ettana Selavu Pathana', Kaalam Maari Pochu' and Hendtheer Darbar'.
On January 6, a Shiva Parvathy panchaloha idol weighing 20kg was stolen rom Manikantheshwara temple in Sriperumbudur.Four days later, burglars stole seven panchaloha idols from temples in Paiyur and Soundaryapuram in Tiruvannamalai district. The probe led police to Dhanalingam, who was arrested rom West Mambalam. His arrest led to recovery of the stolen idols and arrest of two of his accomplices.
Sekar was remanded in Puzhal central prison after being produced before a metropolitan magistrate court in Egmore on Wednesday.
Tamil Nadu, home to hundreds of ancient temples, has seen several instances of idol theft in the past. Art thief Subhash Ka poor, who is accused of carting away invaluable idols from the state to museums across the world, had plundered sites such as Brihadeeswarar temple in Sripuranthan in Ariyalur district of Tamil Nadu. Kapoor, who was operating in the US, was extradited to India in 2013.
Rs 80cr Statues Stashed In Sekar's Unit, Say Police
Investigators suspect film producer and director V Sekar, arrested for being part of an idol theft racket, had links with an international cartel of smugglers through antique dealers in Mumbai.
Police said the director acted as a go-between to a gang of thieves and a key suspect who financed the theft and smuggling of at least nine idols, around 1,200 years old and dating back to the early Chola period, worth an estimated `80 crore in the international market. Officers of the CID's idol wing arrested Sekar on Wednesday evening after gathering evidence to establish his links with idol smugglers. “We picked up vital clues from one of the accused in the racket and we recorded his statement before a judicial magistrate under CrCP Section 164,“ CID ADGP (idol wing) Prateep V Philip said.
Investigators who arrested Sekar seized his cellphone and documents from his house in KK Nagar. “We are trying to confirm that he had links with dealers in stolen antiques,“ ADGP Philip said. “We will question Sekar to find out more about his links with antique dealers and idol smugglers.“ CID IGP (idol wing) Ashok Kumar Das said police are searching for the person who bankrolled the operation, paying `5 lakh to the gang to steal the idols from three temples in January . Investigations revealed hat Sekar organised meet ngs between the key suspect and the gang of thieves at his production unit, `Thiruval uvar Kalaikoodam', in KK Nagar. “They hatched the conspiracy at Sekar's unit,“ GP Das said.
The gang plundered Shiva and Parvati idols weigh ng 20kg each from Manikandeshwarar Temple in Sriperumbudur on January 6 and took them to Sekar's of fice in KK Nagar, Das said.
The gang also stashed away seven other idols in Sekar's office. “They took those idols from Prasanna Venkatesa Perumal temple in Paiyyur and Adi Kesava Perumal temple in Soundaryapuram in Tiruvannamalai district on January 10,“ the IGP said.
Sekar admitted to investigators that he collected details about ancient Shiva temples in the state from Mumbai-based dealers.
