Chennai,  The idol wing of the Tamil Nadu police has seized seven Chola-era idols from a house at RA Puram in Chennai, an official said on Saturday.

The idol wing in a statement said some of the idols had markings and slots for fixing on temple palanquins.

The police also said that the owner of the house did not had any proper documents regarding the idols.

The seized idols are of Krishna, Parvati, Buddha, Parvati in sitting posture, Tara statue, Goddess statue and one more Buddha statue. Two paintings were also seized from the house, the idol wing statement said.

The idol wing will send the seized bronze idols and the paintings to the Archeological Survey of India and a report will be sent to the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowment (HR&CE).

The Idol wing police said that they got a tip off and acted on this but as the house was locked they were not in a position to get hold of them.

However, the police contacted the owner of the house who was an NRI, and allowed him a week to provide his statement on the idols.

The statement said that the NRI told the police to take hold of the statues and the paintings and that he did not know anything about them.

He also informed that the bronze idols and the paintings were at his home even before he was born and that he don't know how it had come to his family.