Daijiworld Media Network - Udupi (SP)

Udupi, Oct 16: It is gathered that the policemen belonging to the Hill Palace police station in Kochi City, Kerala, have taken three men from the taluk into custody for their alleged involvement with the smuggling of priceless idols made of five alloys, to foreign countries. The turnover of this racket is said to run into crores of rupees.

The local people and the policemen claimed that Prashant Shenoy from Kaup-Belapu, Karim Saheb from Majur Chandranagar and Jagadish from Katpady were arrested by the Kerala policemen, who swooped on the residences of the three persons on Monday October 12 night. Reportedly, the policemen got the details of the involvement of the local people, from Roshan D'Souza, who leads a racket of smuggling idols from Mangalore, and who was recently arrested by the Kerala policemen.

It is said that Karim Saheb had handed over an idol to Prashant Shenoy, by claiming that he got the idol while working in a house in Kerala, and asking Shenoy to keep it with him for a few days. Later, the idol was sold by Karim, with the assistance from Jagadish from Katpady, it is said.