CANADA, April 17, 2012 (National Post): On the morning of April 3, an Oakville Museum employee arrived at work to find a 500-pound marble statue of the Hindu God Ganesh in his parking spot, Halton police said. Since then, investigators have been trying to determine its origin.
“We have good information, given the size of it, it would be taken from a temple area as opposed to a home,” Sergeant Dave Cross said Tuesday after police issued a news release requesting the public’s assistance in tracking down the statue’s owner. After arriving on scene, police had to enlist the assistance of Oakville’s road and works department to move the heavy statue, which was eventually transported to the Halton police property bureau.
The three-foot-tall statue of the elephantine God is missing its top two arms, which appear to have broken off. That makes it unlikely the statue was intended as a donation to the museum, police suggested. Police say there have been no reports of Ganesh thefts in the area. Investigators have spoken with various Hindu groups, who were attempting to help determine the statue’s rightful owner.