Idol wing worth Rs 34 crore traced to Christie’s in US
Idol Wing has despatched legal documents claiming the legal ownership of Tamil Nadu over the bronze idol of Kalasamharamurthy aka Tripurantaka Murthy that was stolen over 50 years ago from Kasi Viswanatha Swamy Temple, Muthammal Puram Village, Orathanadu in Thanjavur.
According to the Idol Wing officials, the criminals had stolen the idol by replacing it with a fake replica. The Idol Wing traced the 82.3 cm long stolen idol to Christie’s.com. According to the website, the price realised for the stolen idol was $4,350,000 (approximately over Rs 34 crore).
According to a complaint from G Suresh, Executive Officer, HR and CE, Kasi Viswanatha Swamy Temple, submitted in November 2020, the original idol had been replaced by a fake replica some 50 years ago.