Chennai: A chance conversation about the value of emerald artefacts led three cash-strapped friends to go through video-sharing platforms in search of temples housing emerald idols, scouting shrines, disabling security systems and eventually stealing a 2.5-foot emerald idol from the ‘Nadupalani’ temple in Chengalpet district. The gang, however, did not realise that footage of them prior to dismantling the CCTV cameras had already been recorded during their recce. Investigators who retrieved the footage, found crucial clues about their movements. Their heist unravelled 12 days later when police spotted them near an abandoned quarry where they had buried the idol.The accused — G Manikandan, 27, E Elavazhakan, 26 and D Jayapal, 20 from Ariyalur, were arrested on Sunday. Police recovered the idol and silver articles stolen from the Nadupalani Balamurugan Maragatha Thandayuthapani Temple at Perunkaranai near Madurantakam.Police said Manikandan struck upon the idea when he overheard a trader he met in connection with cashew business, speaking about emerald articles fetching huge sums owing to their rarity and value. After Manikandan told this to his friends, the trio began searching online for temples with emerald idols. They found one in Sivagangai, one in Ramanathapuram and another in Perunkaranai in Chengalpet district. They visited all three but dropped plans to target the first two after finding they had stronger security and larger idols, which would be difficult to remove.They zeroed in on Perunkaranai temple, located atop a hill. Its presiding deity is a 2.5-foot idol carved entirely from emerald, and the shrine draws large crowds, particularly during festivals. The trio posed as devotees and visited it on Aug 28 to study the layout, security arrangements, CCTV cameras and burglar alarms.On the night of Sept 1, they entered the temple after dismantling 16 CCTV cameras around the premises and disabling three burglar alarms that formed part of a three-tier security system. Police said the alarms were loud enough to alert residents of nearby villages in the event of a security breach. After disabling the security systems, the trio removed the emerald idol and stole silver articles. They took the idol to an abandoned quarry about a kilometre away and buried it there.When priests and temple staff discovered the theft on Sept 2, they alerted Sithamur police, who registered a case. Six special teams were formed to trace the burglars and recover the idol. Investigators scrutinised footage from more than 100 CCTV cameras and questioned over 20 previous offenders involved in temple thefts and similar crimes. A team headed by Sithamu Inspector S Mahalingam pieced together footage and other clues to narrow down the suspects. Police said the trio also had previous criminal cases against them.The breakthrough came on Sunday morning when the police team noticed suspicious activity near the abandoned quarry. The three men were found there and taken in for questioning. Based on information obtained from them, police recovered the emerald idol from the spot where it had been buried, along with the stolen silver articles.The recovered idol was handed over to the Madurantakam Revenue Divisional Officer’s office.Police are investigating whether anyone else was involved in the theft and whether the trio had approached prospective buyers to dispose of the idol. Further investigation is on.
