Palani main idol smuggling bid uncovered

Palani: The Idol Wing – CID police, which have been inquiring into irregularities behind the making of a metal idol for the Palani Dhandayuthapani Swamy temple in 2004, confirmed on Sunday that the new idol was made as a ploy to smuggle the 5,000-year-old presiding deity out of the country.

Idol wing deputy commissioner Mukesh Jayaram told reporters in Palani that a case was registered last year to ascertain whether the idol was made to smuggle the old one for personal gains. Chief sculptor M Muthiah was the brain behind the attempt and a probe is on to find the others involved, the officer said.

Sleuths led by special officer A G Pon Manickavel conducted inquiry in Palani for the second day on Sunday. It was on March 22 that a case was registered by the idol wing CID against six persons on the charges of causing a loss of Rs 1.31 crore to the government while making the idol in 2003-04. Former commissioner of HR&CE P Dhanapal was also named co-accused in the case.

According to police, the temple officials decided to make an idol weighing 200 kg in 2003 and Muthiah was roped in. They ended up making a 221kg idol. Besides, while several kilos of gold were collected to make the idol, this was not found in it when the idol wing police tested it with the help of a team from IIT Madras.

Palani temple

joint commissioner K K Raja, 66, Stapathi Muthaiah,77, jewel assessing officer M Deventhiran and N Pughalendi, 60, of Palani were arrested last year during the course of the inquiry.

The new idol, which was installed in 2004 in front of the presiding deity, was removed within six months as it turned dark. Since then, it has been kept in a room.


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