Subsequently, the police recovered Adi Kesava Perumal idol, Sridevi idol, Poo Devi idol, Astra Devar idol, Amman idol, Veerabhadra idol and Mahadevi idol from Shoba’s house. Then they examined the idols. At that time, it was revealed that the idols of Vishnu and Sridevi were inscribed as Ulundur Peta Adhikesava Temple. After that, the police headed by DSP Muthuraja went to the concerned temple and questioned the temple staff there. Then on 10.7.2011 it was revealed that these two idols were stolen. A report was made by the temple at Ulundurpet police station in this regard. But the police could not find the idols and closed the case. The police then handed over the idols belonging to the temple. The international value of these idols is estimated at 5 crore rupees.
About this, Anti-Idol Trafficking Police said, “Shoba, who had idols in Chennai, bought these idols from Aparna Art Gallery in 2008 and 2015 through Deenadayalan as he kept collecting art objects as his hobby. He kept the idols in the basement (secret room) of his house. Shobha does not know that these idols are stolen from temples. That is why he has registered the idols in the year 2013 based on the documents he has. Deenadayalan, who sold the idols to Shoba, has already been booked for stealing the idols. Deenadayala, the king of idolatry, is no longer alive. So, we decided to ask the staff of Aparna Art Gallery about these idols. When Shoba was interrogated by the Anti-Idol Smuggling Squad, he agreed to hand over the idols he had to us. Information about the two recovered idols has been revealed. An investigation is underway as to which temples the rest of the idols were stolen from. After 11 years, a clue has been found about the idols stolen from the temple. We have sent the photographs of the recovered idols to the Hindu Religious Charities Department. Further action will be taken according to the information provided by them,” he said.