A man from West Bengal was arrested near Khallikote in Odisha's Ganjam district and three antique astadhatu (alloy of eight metals) idols were seized from him, police said today.
Jayadev Paramanika of Sukhachandrapur in West Midnapore district in West Bengal was picked up from Langaleswara under Khallikote police station limit, about 55-km from here yesterday, they said.
Local people had informed the police about the man who was moving in the village with a bag in suspicious circumstances.
The three antique idols of Gopinath, Chandra Sekhara and Kanaka Durga and some other brass-metal accessories were found from him when police searched his bag, said nvestigation police officer of the case, Sudhir Kumar Satapathy.
Police said the idols were stolen from an ancient temple in Nilanakshyapur under Khallikote police station limit on December 29, 2013. Nilanakshyapur is about 10-km from Langaleswara village from where the accused person with the idols was arrested, he said.
Appearing to be around 350-year-old, the ancient idols command a high price in the international market. The height of idols is from 8 to 10 inches. The weight of the idols along with other accessories was around 20-kg, police said.
During the interrogation, the accused, however claimed he had got the idols from Kalajahara, near Langaleswara. The idols were lying under a bridge, he told police.
"We are investigating to identify others involved in loot of the idols from the temple and the role of the man from West Bengal in the loot," said Satapathy.
He said police also investigating about the arrested person's possible involvement in other temple loot cases in the state, he added.
