Jayanth Murali IPS (R),Author of “42 Mondays”

What’s happening?

The FIR, case diary, investigation records, provenance documentation, and MLAT request clearly establish that the tracing and recovery process was carried out by the Idol Wing CID team. These records are official and verifiable. The Idol Wing did not avail investigative assistance from any private individual or external project in this case. While many voices today advocate for the protection of heritage, it is important that the institutional investigation and teamwork that actually traced these idols are properly acknowledged. #IdolRepatriation #TamilNaduHeritage #BringOurGodsHome #CulturalHeritage #IdolWing @timesofindia @the_hindu @IndianExpress @dinathanthi @dt_next @ASIGoI @MinOfCultureGoI

These findings were the result of the painstaking work of the Idol Wing officers, supported by archival material, expert reports, and documented investigative records. The evidence and case documentation relating to this investigation remain fully verifiable.

Kudos to my team of officers of the Idol Wing CID who painstakingly traced the Tirumangai Alvar bronze from the Soundararaja Perumal Temple, Sundara Perumal Koil (Kumbakonam) to the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford. It is heartening that the museum has now agreed to return the idol to Tamil Nadu.

A misty, beautiful Chennai morning at IIT Madras. Easy long run. No hurry. No heroics. Just oxygen, rhythm and gratitude. And an Aha moment — progress is not built in speed. It is built in quiet consistency.#run #running #runner #halfmarathon

Ran through IIT Madras today — mist in the air, light drizzle on the road, and sunlight breaking through trees. Not my fastest run. But maybe the most peaceful one. Progress doesn’t always look like speed. Sometimes it looks like tranquillity. #run #running #halfmarathon #IITMadras #longrun #zone2

@savitha_balaji @tnpoliceoffl @chennaipolice_ @indiagovernment Thank you very much 🙏

Some victories come quietly. Two priceless 12th-century Chola bronzes—stolen from Tamil Nadu temples—are finally returning home. This moment carries the after-echo of years of painstaking investigation by the Tamil Nadu Idol Wing during my tenure as its Chief. Truth, when pursued patiently, always finds its way back.

This journey—of archives, evidence, global trails and human courage—is captured in my book CHASING THE LOST GODS – The Saga of the Idol Wing (Tamil edition coming soon). More gods will return. History is correcting itself. #ChasingTheLostGods #IdolWing #HeritageRepatriation #MLAT #IndianHeritage

In 2022, we initiated 50+ MLAT requests across countries to trace and reclaim our lost gods. What you see today is only the beginning. More than 50 cases are still in the pipeline—waiting for their own homecoming. Kudos to my extraordinary team. This belongs to them.

MLAT request from #idol wing leads to US returning 12th-Cen idol as TN wins key repatriation case | What about other MLAT requests TN police have sent to retrieve idols from across the globe ? @dt_next @tnpoliceoffl dtnext.in/news/chennai/u…

Ran through rain-darkened lanes this morning, the greens richer, the air cooler, the world unhurried. Some runs aren’t about speed. They’re about staying long enough to let the mind grow still. #run #running #runner #halfmarathon

"Letting go, I learned, is not weakness. It is professional maturity. It allows clarity instead of bitterness. Compassion instead of cynicism. It keeps you human in a profession that constantly tests your limits. Today, when I look back on my policing years, I don’t remember the ranks or the postings as much as I remember the moments—quiet conversations in dimly lit offices, the weight of decisions taken in silence, the relief of knowing I did my duty and could rest my mind. Policing gave me a strong spine. Letting go gave me a peaceful mind." @jayantmuraliips @tnpoliceoffl @COPTBM @chennaipolice_ @avadipolice

Yesterday’s long run didn’t happen in the morning. Life stepped in. So the morning run became an evening run. Different hour. Same promise kept. Consistency isn’t about timing—it’s about showing up. #run #running #halfmarathon

Ran my weekly long run in weather that felt like a gift. No rush. No noise. Just breath, steps, cool breeze and a city waking up gently. Grateful for mornings like this. #run #running #runner #halfmarathon

Ran the Freshworks Chennai Marathon today - injured and imperfect. Discomfort speaks — but it doesn’t always get the final say and resilience is built on the days you still show up even when everything suggests otherwise. #run #running #runner#Freshworkschennaimarathon