By IANS,
Lucknow : Four people involved in an inter-state antique smuggling racket were arrested in Lakhimpur Kheri in Uttar Pradesh with a Buddha idol worth Rs.5 crore, police said Wednesday.
The four men, who hail from West Bengal, were caught late Tuesday following a joint operation of the district police and special operations group (SOG). The idol seized from them was made of ashtadhatu, a precious eight-metal alloy.
“The four were arrested while on their way to sell the Buddha idol to some clients here,” police inspector Ravi Srivastava told reporters Wednesday in Lakhimpur Kheri, some 150 km from Lucknow.
“Preliminary investigations indicate the four used to operate in various states, including Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh,” he said.
According to police, the four have claimed their gang members in Uttarakhand handed over the idol to them for selling it in Uttar Pradesh.
“We are yet to ascertain where the idol was stolen from,” said Srivastava.