A brass statue of a widely-revered Hindu deity with an elephant’s head was stolen from the entranceway of a Somerset Street restaurant Wednesday night.
Ottawa police launched an investigation into the theft Thursday, but have no suspects.
Anish Mehra, manager of the East India Company, said the statue, which was sawed off its base, was worth more than $5,000 and is nearly irreplaceable.
“It’s not something that we purchased in Ottawa. It’s something that dad purchased in India,” Mehra said. “It’s not something that can be easily replaced.”
The statue weighs between 130 and 180 kilograms and depicts the Hindu god of wisdom, knowledge and new beginnings, Ganesha, an elephant-headed deity with four arms.
“It’s not a light piece of art. I’ve got similar brass statues in the restaurant and it takes more than one person to lift them. This one was taller than I am,” said Mehra.
This statue of Lord Ganesh was stolen from outside the East Indian Company restaurant Wednesday night.
Mehra said he believes the statue was likely taken so it could be melted down and sold for scrap, which could net up to $640 based on his weight estimates and the current value of scrap yellow brass.
“That would be very sad and disappointing if it is just melted down.”
The deity plays an important part in the Hindu religion and was especially important to Mehra’s late father and restaurant founder, Kamal Mehra.
“Dad believed that Ganesh-ji should be the first image people see upon coming into the restaurant, so we’ve always kept a statue of him outside of our businesses. It’s a good omen.”
In a statement posted on the restaurant’s Facebook page Thursday, it addresses the people who stole the statue directly.
The thieves “demonstrated a total lack of respect, tolerance and appreciation or others’ beliefs and views,” it says.
“Those people deserve the bad karma that is coming to them,” added Mehra.
While he is not offering a reward for the statue’s safe return, Mehra said he would be willing to offer one if it brings the statue back.
