Cuddalore: The Idol Wing CID of the Tamil Nadu police foiled an illegal idol smuggling attempt near Sethiathope in Cuddalore district, arresting five individuals and recovering three antique metal idols valued at approximately ₹7 crore.Acting on specific confidential information received by Inspector N Ravindran of the Idol Wing CID (Villupuram range), a special police team set up surveillance near the Sethiathope crossroad flyover on National Highway 36. Around 2pm on Thursday, officers intercepted five men carrying gunny bags. A search of the bags led to the recovery of the antique idols, said a release from the Idol Wing.The seized artefacts include an idol of Bhudevi (56cm in height, weighing 19kg), an idol of Thirugnanasambandar (37cm in height, weighing 10kg) and an idol of Sivagami Sundari (55cm in height, weighing 12.4kg). During interrogation, the suspects confessed that while searching for potential buyers, they had cut and damaged portions of the idols to test the metal’s gold content.They said they were waiting at the flyover to hand over the artefacts to a prospective buyer travelling from Kumbakonam to Chennai. The arrested individuals have been identified as residents of Cuddalore district: Rajalingam, 38, Thirunaraiyur Muthuraj, 40, Vadakku Kolakudi Rajavel, 50, Thiruchinnapuram Senthilkumar, 49, and Thiruchinnapuram Suresh, 34, Vadalur, Kurinjipadi TalukA case has been registered under sections 35(1)(e) and 106, read with section 305(d) of the BNS. The accused were produced before the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate’s Court in Egmore, Chennai, which remanded them to judicial custody until Aug 14, 2026. All five have been lodged in the Central Prison, Puzhal.Inspector S Muniammal of the Idol Wing CID (Vellore range) has been nominated as the investigating officer. Further investigations are underway to trace the temples from which the idols were stolen and identify other members involved in the smuggling network. DGP Mahesh Kumar Aggarwal, along with senior officers including ADGP D Kalpana Nayak, IG Anil Kumar Giri, and SP M Chandrasekaran, commended the police team for the swift operation.
