Nearly two weeks after a two-and-a-half-foot emerald idol of Lord Balamurugan Dhandayuthapani Swamy was stolen from the Sri Maragatha Bala Dhandayuthapani Murugan Temple near Madurantakam in Chengalpattu district, police have recovered the idol and detained three men in connection with the theft, as reported in The New Indian Express.
The idol was found buried at an abandoned quarry located around one kilometre from the temple, according to the Chithamur police. The three men, who are from Ariyalur district, were detained by a police team on Sunday and questioned about their alleged involvement in the theft.
As per TNIE, police said none of the three suspects had previous criminal cases against them. Investigators are questioning them to determine whether more people were involved and whether the stolen idol had been taken with the intention of finding a buyer. But Times of India says they did have prior criminal cases.
The suspects were expected to be formally arrested and produced before a magistrate on Monday after completion of the necessary procedures.
As per a Times of India report, police said the idea to target emerald idols originated after one of the suspects, G Manikandan, 27, heard a trader he had met in connection with cashew business discussing the high value of emerald artefacts. Manikandan subsequently shared the information with E Elavazhakan, 26, and D Jayapal, 20, and the three began searching video-sharing platforms and other online sources for temples housing emerald idols.
Their search led them to temples in Sivagangai, Ramanathapuram and Perunkaranai. After visiting all three, they reportedly abandoned plans to target the first two because of stronger security arrangements and the larger size of the idols. They then focused on the Perunkaranai shrine.
The trio allegedly visited the temple on August 28 posing as devotees and used the visit to study its layout, security arrangements, CCTV cameras and burglar alarms.
The recovery followed an extensive investigation into the theft. Special police teams examined footage from more than 100 CCTV cameras in the area and questioned over 20 habitual offenders as part of efforts to identify those responsible.
Investigators also recovered footage showing the suspects during their recce before they dismantled the temple’s CCTV cameras, which helped police trace their movements. A team led by Sithamur Inspector S Mahalingam reportedly pieced together the footage and other clues to narrow down the suspects.
According to a police official, investigators noticed suspicious activity near the abandoned quarry on Sunday morning. When police reached the spot, they found the three men there. Their subsequent questioning led investigators to the location where the idol had allegedly been concealed.
🙏 Lord Murugan’s Emerald Idol Recovered
A remarkable recovery has brought relief to devotees of Nadu Palani.
The approximately 2½-foot-tall emerald idol of Lord Dhandayuthapani (Bala Murugan), stolen on 1 September 2026 from the Arulmigu Maragatha Dhandayuthapani Temple at… pic.twitter.com/HBHamhWArp
— Brahmin (GC) Political Party (@Deva_Party) September 13, 2026
The temple, situated on a hilltop at Perungaranai and popularly known as Nadu Palani, is administered by a private trust. The sanctum sanctorum is secured by three iron doors and the premises are equipped with CCTV cameras and an alarm system.
The theft took place during the night of September 1. Police said the suspects dismantled 16 CCTV cameras installed around the premises and disabled three burglar alarms before entering the sanctum. The alarms were reportedly powerful enough to alert residents in nearby villages if the security system was breached. Police suspect that the burglars first disabled the temple’s alarm system and interfered with the CCTV cameras before gaining entry into the sanctum. The emerald idol, along with silver articles, was then allegedly taken from the temple.
After leaving the temple, the suspects allegedly carried the idol to the abandoned quarry and buried it there.
Temple authorities noticed the theft the following morning and informed the police. The Chithamur police registered a case, including provisions relating to the theft of an idol or icon from a place of worship, and formed special teams to investigate the incident.
The idol’s present value has not yet been established, police said. An earlier statement from the department said the emerald idol was installed at the temple in 2008 through the Mysuru-based Ganapathy Sachchidananda Swamiji Trust. At the time of installation, it was valued at approximately ₹3 lakh.
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