Balaji idol stolen from Karnataka seized in Tamil Nadu
Chennai (PTI): An impressive idol of Lord Balaji, reportedly stolen from a temple in Mandya in Karnataka, was seized from a house in Tamil Nadu's Gobichettipalayam, state Idol Wing CID said on Wednesday.
A search by the Idol Wing sleuths led by Inspector Elango under the supervision of Additional DSP Central Zone Balamurugan, who posed as antique idol smugglers, led to the recovery of the Balaji idol, the Idol Wing police said.
Initial enquiries by the Idol Wing revealed that the Balaji idol was stolen a few years ago from a temple in Mandya by the temple pujari and sold to an advocate from Gobichettipalayam.
As part of an effort to recover stolen antique idols, the Idol Wing unit masqueraded two sub inspectors as wealthy idol smugglers. Both began scouting for stolen idols and on November 4, the two SIs viz. Pandiarajan and Rajesh were approached by a broker at Avinashi road in a coffee shop.
During a conversation with the undercover police, the broker revealed that he obtained a 600-year-old antique Balaji idol from an old friend. He could arrange to sell it to them for Rs 33 crore. When the Idol Wing officers showed interest in buying the idol, he promised to show them the antique idol the next day, Idol Wing DGP K Jayanth Murali said.
As promised, the broker led them to the house of an advocate, residing at VIP Muthu Nagar, Nagarpalayam, Gobichettipalayam, and showed them the Idol. The SIs requested the broker to allow them to test the idol before buying it to ascertain its antiquity.
They visited the seller's residence the following day, on November 6, and carried out some make-believe tests. They informed the seller that the Balaji idol was worth only 15 crores in their estimate, the DGP said in the release.
After intense bargaining, the advocate agreed to sell the idol for Rs 15 crore, and the SIs promised to come back the next day with the amount to procure the idol.
The Idol Wing worked out a plan to conduct a search and accordingly the two SIs appeared at the advocate's house carrying a briefcase. When the advocate brought the Balaji idol, Inspector Elango and his team swooped on him and seized the idol.
The advocate, realising that the police had surrounded him, offered no resistance and meekly allowed the Idol Wing police to take custody of the idol.
During interrogation, the advocate admitted that he was working as a junior advocate. His senior knew a pujari at a temple in Mandya. The priest was in a bad financial condition and requested that money be arranged for him and in return he promised to arrange an antique idol worth several crores of rupees in the international market from the temple where he was then working.
The details of the temple and identity of the priest are not known as the senior advocate died in 2018. Prior to his death, in 2017, when he was bringing the idol to Tamil Nadu, his car was stopped by the Karnataka police on suspicion and found the idol of Balaji in his car.
As he did not have papers nor offered a proper explanation for possessing an antique idol which appeared to belong to some temple, the Karnataka police confiscated the idol and registered a case of theft against the advocate.
The Karnataka police completed the investigation and filed a chargesheet. While the case was in progress, the advocate visited Kumbakonam and forged a fake bill and produced it in the court and was acquitted. After obtaining the Balaji idol from the court he took it to Gobichettipalayam, where he decided to sell the idol for Rs 50 crore.
As few prospective customers backed away due to the prohibitive cost of the idol, the late advocate then sought help from his junior to sell the idol. He however took ill suddenly and died in 2018.
In 2021, the junior advocate reduced the idol's price to Rs 33 crore on the advice of one of the brokers, the release explained.
In November, SIs: Rajesh and Pandiarajan disguised themselves as wealthy idol smugglers to seize the idol. When they met one of the brokers on November 4, the broker showed them the idol of Balaji, which the special party of the Idol Wing eventually seized and registered a case.
The seized idol, weighing 22.8 Kg, 58 cm in height and 31 in width, was produced in the Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate court, Kumbakonam.
DGP C Sylendra Babu appreciated the Idol Wing team for their excellent work.
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Not having memorial for Manmohan Singh deliberate insult to India's 1st Sikh PM: Jairam Ramesh
New Delhi, Dec 27: The Congress on Friday said that not finding a location for the cremation and memorial for Manmohan Singh is a deliberate insult to the country's first Sikh prime minister.
The Congress raked up the issue after the Union home ministry said in a statement that Singh's last rites will be held at New Delhi's Nigambodh Ghat at 11:45 AM on Saturday with full state honours.
Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said party president Mallikarjun Kharge wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him to conduct Singh's last rites at a location where a memorial could be built to honour his legacy.
"The people of our country are simply unable to understand why the Government of India could not find a location for his cremation and memorial that is befitting of his global stature, record of outstanding achievements, and exemplary service to the nation for decades," Ramesh said in a post on X.
"This is nothing but a deliberate insult to the first Sikh Prime Minister of India, Dr. Manmohan Singh," the Congress leader said.
Kharge wrote the letter after speaking to Modi about setting up a memorial for Singh, who was a two-term prime minister revered by the people of the country.
"Apropos our telephonic conversation today morning, wherein I made a request to hold Dr Manmohan Singh's last rites, which will take place tomorrow i.e. 28th December 2024, at his final resting place that would be a sacrosanct venue for memorial of the great son of India.
"This is in keeping with such tradition of having memorials of statesmen and former Prime Ministers at the very place of their funerals," Kharge said in his two-page letter.
The Congress chief said Dr Manmohan Singh holds a highly revered place in the psyche of the country and the people of this nation, and his contributions and achievements were phenomenal.
He also said that Dr Singh's erudition on economic and fiscal matters came from his vast experience as the governor of the Reserve Bank of India, chief economic advisor to the government of India and in various other capacities in several organisations, and the respect and regard that world leaders had for him bears testimony to this fact.
Kharge said Singh's wise counsel, leadership and contribution in mitigating the global economic financial crisis is well-acknowledged. He also recalled President Obama's words when as the US president, he mentioned that "whenever the Indian prime minister speaks, the whole world listens to him".
He also said that when the nation was in the throes of a grave economic crisis, it was Dr Manmohan Singh, along with former prime minister P V Narasimha Rao, who took India out of the crisis and also led the country towards economic prosperity and stability.
The nation today reaps the benefits of the robust economic foundations built by them, Kharge noted.
"Coming from a humble background and having experienced the pains and sufferings of the Partition, it is through his sheer grit and determination that he rose to become one of the leading statesmen of the world. I hope and trust that befitting stature of Dr Manmohan Singh, request to have the funeral of Dr Singh at a place where his memorial can be built, will be acceded," Kharge said in the letter.
Congress Legislature Party leader in Punjab assembly Pratap Singh Bajwa also separately urged Prime Minister Modi to have Manmohan Singh's funeral at a place where a memorial could be built later in his honour.
"I urge Prime Minister @narendramodi to honour Dr Manmohan Singh, one of the most towering Sikhs of modern times, with a memorial befitting his immense contributions to our nation. Rising from humble beginnings in a historic state, representing a community that has always stood steadfast for India's unity and progress, Dr Singh's life is a testament to intellect, integrity, and selfless service," he posted on X.
Bajwa said Punjabis across faiths and political lines unite in their heartfelt plea to recognise this son of Punjab, who played an instrumental role in shaping India's destiny, with the respect he deserves.
Shiromani Akali Dal leader Sukhbir Singh Badal claimed the Centre has "declined" the request of Manmohan Singh's family for performing the funeral and last rites at a place where an appropriate memorial may be built.
There is no official word from the government on Kharge's request.
However, Badal took to X to post, "Shocking and unbelievable! It is condemnable in the extreme that Union Govt has declined the request of Dr Manmohan Singh Ji's family for performing the funeral and last rites of the highly distinguished leader at a place where an appropriate and historic memorial may be built to commemorate his unparalleled services to the nation."
He further said this place should be Raj Ghat.
"This will be in keeping with the settled practice and tradition followed in the past," Badal said.
He said it is "inexplicable" why the government is "showing such disrespect to the great leader who was the only member of the Sikh community to rise to become the Prime Minister".
"As of now, the cremation is slated to be performed at the common cremation ground at Nigambodh ghat. I am unable to believe that the BJP govt's bias would go to such extremes in utter disregard of the towering global stature which Dr Manmohan Singh ji enjoyed and will always enjoy," Badal further said in his post.
He said Singh took the country to great international heights.
"Our political differences with the Congress apart, we have always held Dr Manmohan Singh in the highest esteem as he transcends politics and political affiliations. He belongs to the entire nation.
"Dr Sahib showed great sensitivity and compassion in his dealings with Shiromani Akali Dal over Sikh and Punjab issues," said Badal urging Modi to "intervene personally to change this deplorable decision of the government".
Singh passed away on Thursday night at Delhi's All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) at the age of 92.
आज सुबह कांग्रेस अध्यक्ष ने प्रधानमंत्री को पत्र लिखकर प्रस्ताव दिया था कि पूर्व प्रधानमंत्री डॉ. मनमोहन सिंह का अंतिम संस्कार ऐसे स्थान पर किया जाए जहां उनकी विरासत का सम्मान करने के लिए एक स्मारक बनाया जा सके।
— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) December 27, 2024
हमारे देश के लोग यह नहीं समझ पा रहे हैं कि भारत सरकार उनके वैश्विक…
