Andhra Pradesh businessman caught selling antique idol

Hyderabad: The Commissioner’s Taskforce nabbed an AP-based businessman who was trying to sell a 600-year-old antique idol in Kulsumpura. Police said the idol belonging to the Sri Krishna Devaraya period was worth Rs 1 crore in the international market. Police identified the arrested man as Neelakanti Venkateswara Rao. 

Police said that one Srinivas Rao from Vizianagaram district informed Venkateswara Rao that he had an antique idol on ‘Dwara Palakudu (Ashtadhatu)’ belonging to the 15th century and asked him to sell it and offered a 40 per cent commission.  

Venkateswara Rao searched for buyers at Vijayawada, Vizianagaram and other areas in AP but could not find one. Later, he decided to sell the idol in Hyderabad. 

About three months ago, he came to Hyderabad along with the idol and stayed at his friend’s house in Nagole and started searching for customers. 

After some days he kept the idol at his friend’s house and went back to Vijayawada, police said.

On Thursday he came back to Hyderabad, took the idol from his friend’s house and came to Kulsumpura to sell it. Receiving information about this, taskforce sleuths nabbed him and recovered the idol.

“Inquiries revealed that the idol belongs to the Sri Krishnadevaraya dynasty and is worth around Rs 1 crore in the international market,” taskforce DCP B. Limba Reddy said. The idol and the suspect were handed over to Kulsumpura police.