Hemanath Padubidri
Daijiworld Media Network – Udupi (PS)
Udupi, Oct 13: Acting on a tip off, the Udupi DCIB police on Friday October 12 arrested Chandra Naika (26) of Mudoor Jadkal in Kundapur and Udaya Achar (32), resident of Hanglur, Kundapur, who were transporting ancient idols with an intention to sell them.
They were arrested by the police when they were transporting the idols in a Maruthi Esteem car from Kundapur to Udupi.
The arrested duo and one Santhosh Mogaveera of Gangolli had been working in a hollow block factory in Sigandoor of Shimoga district. Santhosh reportedly told Chandra Naika about the existing ancient idols near a Chandranatha Basadi near Byakod and told him to steal them.
The accused Chandra Naika stole the idols of Mahaveera, Theerthankaras and others of Jain dynasty from the sanctorum of Jain Basadi with the help of his motorcycle in August this year and hid them in his house. He informed this to the other accused, Udaya Achar. The latter estimated the stolen items to be worth Rs 2 crore and all the three accused planned to sell them in Kerala.
DCIB police after obtaining information on this, intersected the car near Laxmi Bar in Uppoor and arrested the accused. Also, eight idols Mahaveera about 700 years old, weighing 14 kg and other idols and the car used for transporting them were seized.
The officials of archeology department will be estimating the actual value of the idols seized.
A case of stolen idols was registered in Kargal police station of Shimoga district. The case now has been handed over to Brahmavar police and police have intensified search for another accused Santhosh Mogaveera.
Under the guidance of Udupi SP Dr Borelingaiah, and direction of Additional SPs Prabhudev Mane and Jayanth V Shetty, DCIB inspector Praveen H Nayak, staff Yogindra Nath, Vaman, Udaya Kunder, Rathnakar, Ashok Kumar, Dinesh Shetty, Rajesh Kokkarne, Sathish Batvadi, Chandrashekar led the operation.