Parashurama statue’s sculptor held in Udupi theme park case: Cop
Sculptor of 33-feet tall bronze statue of Parashurama statue has been arrested in Puducherry over his alleged involvement in the Karkala Parasurama theme park embezzlement case
Sculptor of 33-feet tall bronze statue of Parashurama statue has been arrested in Puducherry over his alleged involvement in the Karkala Parasurama theme park embezzlement case, police said on Monday.
Police said that the sculptor, Krishna Nayak (45), was arrested on Sunday after he was accused by Krishna Shetty, a resident of Nallur, of replacing the original statue with a counterfeit. After his bail plea was denied by an Udupi court, Nayak reportedly went into hiding before his capture, Shetty said.
Karkala town police inspector Manjappa said: “We registered an FIR against Krishna Nayak under IPC sections 420 (cheating) and 409 (criminal breach of trust) in June and arrested him on Sunday. he court remanded him to 14 days in judicial custody on Monday.”
The Parashurama theme park, situated on the Ummikal Hill in Udupi, was inaugurated under Karkala MLA Sunil Kumar, who served as the state culture minister in the previous BJP government. Former chief minister Basavaraj Bommai inaugurated the park with the grand Parasurama statue prior on January 28, 2023. However, tourist access was temporarily halted due to incomplete work.
Krishna Nayak, through his company, Krish Craftsmanship World, had reportedly received ₹1.25 crore from Udupi Nirmithi Kendra to craft the bronze statue.
Shetty in his complaint accused Nayak of creating a fiber replica instead, thus, defrauding the government.
The statue’s disappearance after being identified as fiber led to public outcry, with protests by the locals and Congress leaders demanding accountability. The high court has since taken up the case, highlighting the pressing need for transparency and oversight in public projects.
The investigation, which has also led to the suspension of Nirmithi Kendra Project Director Arun Kumar, is now under the scrutiny of the CID. Udupi deputy commissioner K Vidya Kumari ordered Kumar’s suspension to prevent potential interference with the case, which includes accusations of substandard construction and religious desecration.
