INDIA, August 8, 2016 (ABC News): In Sripuranthan’s temple, the village’s Hindu priest recites a hymn and makes offerings to the God Nataraja — the dancing Shiva — seeking the blessing of village elder Subramaniam. But where the town’s prized, 900-year-old bronze Shiva statue should stand is a mere poster. Two years after the Australian National Gallery gave a stolen sculpture back to India, it remains in police storage — and the south Indian villagers awaiting its return say they still do not know when their prized Dancing Shiva will come home.
Outside, Subramaniam says villagers’ pleas for its return have so far been ignored. “We’ve asked the Government to have the statue back. It is very sad that the Government has not returned it to us,” he says. The statue sits locked in police storage, as evidence against the man accused of masterminding its theft, Subhash Kapoor.
Thieves broke into the temple in 2006, making off with the valuable icon. Kapoor, who is in prison in India awaiting trial after being extradited from the US, then allegedly forged documents about its origin, and ultimately sold it to the Australian National Gallery. The statue was brought back for one festival, but police then took it away again. With fresh allegations still being made against Kapoor, the case against the accused thief is likely to drag on for years.
A short video can be viewed at “source” above.