The Tamil Nadu Police on Thursday recovered antique items worth over Rs 100 crore in raids at the residence of a prominent businessman in Chennai, reported The News Minute. During the search at the home of Ranvir Shah, the founder of Prakriti Foundation, officials of the Idol Wing of the Economic Offences Wing under the state police seized 22 pillars, 12 metal idols and artefacts and 56 stone sculptures.

No one has been arrested so far.

The raids were conducted after an order was passed by the Kumbakonam additional chief judicial magistrate judge, said Additional Superintendent of Police Ashok Natarajan. “We have seized them and will submit it in the court of the additional chief judicial magistrate,” said Natarajan. “Further action will be taken based on the court’s orders.”

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The seized items will now be kept at the Idol Wing’s office in Guindy.

Natarajan said the massive sculptures are more than 100 years old and mostly belong to temples in Tamil Nadu. “Although we were shown registration certificates, there is no proof as to where these idols came from,” he said. “They must have been stolen from some temple.” He added that a few statues are also from an antique dealer in Kerala’s Mattancherry and another in Puducherry.

Idol Wing Inspector General AG Pon Manickavel agreed. “I have reasonable grounds to believe all these idols and artefacts are all stolen from Hindu temples in Tamil Nadu,” he told PTI. He added that notices will be served to the sellers from Kerala and Puducherry for further action.

Manickavel said that Dheenadayalan, an alleged kingpin behind idol thefts and smuggling who was arrested in 2016, is the prime suspect. The police had earlier received information from him about Shah’s alleged involvement in the case. The Idol Wing had questioned the businessman but he told the police that he had the requisite permission to keep the idols.