Shah was living in the tourist destination of Mamallapuram on the outskirts of Chennai and was running a shop known as the “Indian Cottage Emporium” at a private resort.

On instructions from Tamil Nadu’s Director General of Police, Sylendra Babu, searches were conducted on Javed’s premises on December 24.

While police did not find the Parvati idol they were looking for, they did seize 11 metal idols, eight of which were declared antiques. This included idols of Lord Ganesha and Krishna.

Finally, it was on Tuesday that cops nabbed Javed, along with the Goddess Parvati idol. While Shah will be sent for remand, a probe is underway to trace the origins of the idols and to which temples they belong.

According to Sreedharan, an expert who has been associated with the Archaeological Survey of India, the value of the idols is estimated to be Rs 400 million.