[1]The alleged high-profile idol smuggler, Subhash Kapoor, who was extradited from Germany, was produced before the Ariyalur magistrate court on Saturday.
A team led by Annie Vijaya, superintendent of police, Tamil Nadu idol wing, had brought Kapoor from Germany late on Friday night.
“Kapoor has been arrested and lodged in Puzhal prison on charges of stealing idols from a village in Ariyalur district. He will be taken into police custody for further investigation,” Vijaya told Deccan Chronicle.
“The suspect had smuggled several century-old idols from India to many countries, including Hong Kong, Germany, US and Europe.
Soon steps will be taken to retrieve the stolen idols,” she said.
About 21 idols were stolen from a temple of Lord Shiva in Sri Puranthan village in Ariyalur district a few years ago. Ariyalur police registered a case and arrested two persons recently.
During investigation it was found that the two had smuggled idols abroad through a person named Subhash kapoor. Following this, Tamil Nadu idol wing police alerted the German authorities, who arrested Kapoor.
According to police, Kapoor, a Jalandhar-born US citizen, used local gangs to steal idols from ancient temples in the state. He had allegedly set up an art gallery of the stolen idols in New York.
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