The Tamil Nadu Police Idol Wing has traced 3 idols stolen from the state to Christie's auction house, Sotheby's & another house in Manhattan.
The idols were stolen and were to be auctioned at the mentioned locations, said DGP K Jayanth Murali on Friday. The Wing has established ample evidence that the idol auctioned by Sotheby's was stolen from the Sri Tolisvarar temple.
The idol of Alingana Murthy was auctioned on March 26, 1998 for USD 85,000, and the Lord Nataraj bronze idol had a bid price of 200,000 to 300,000 euros.
Police say they have gathered enough evidence to establish the Indian origin of the idols and are now preparing paperwork for their retrieval.
Idol Wing also prepared the papers for the retrieval of the Nataraja idol, stolen from Kothandaramaswamy Temple in Kovilpatti, from France.
Based on the evidence, the idols would soon be reinstated at their original locations.
Christie's and Sotheby's are two of the world's most well-known and prestigious auction houses. They are both headquartered in London and are known for selling high-value items such as fine art, jewelry, and antiques.
Christie's was founded in 1766 by James Christie and is one of the oldest auction houses in the world. It has a global presence, with offices and salesrooms in cities around the world, including New York, Paris, and Hong Kong.
Sotheby's was founded in 1744 by Samuel Baker and is also a global company, with salesrooms in cities such as New York, Paris, and Hong Kong.
Sotheby's is known for selling a wide range of items, including fine art, jewelry, and rare books, as well as for its high-profile auctions of items such as the Hope Diamond and the Pink Star Diamond.
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