Aged man hands over antiques to cops

Acting on a tip off that 80-year-old Dr B N Gadiyar is in possession of antique pieces, the police raided the house and recovered a 5.4 foot-tall Nataraja idol weighing 180 kgs, two swords measuring 3.5 foot, one golden sword case and six gold coins weighing about 50 grams.

While one gold coin has a picture of Rama Lakshman and Hanuman, another has a picture of elephant, yet another has Arabic letters and another belonging to the period of Napoleon Bonaparte. The police have estimated the value of the idol at approximately Rs 3 crore while the value of swords and coins have been estimated at Rs 1 crore.

After convincing Dr Gadiyar that it is illegal to keep antinque pieces at home, Dr Gadiyar is said to have handed over the same to the police, it is said.