Rare Buddha idol recovered, five held in Varanasi

On a tip off, a police team posing as prospective buyers nabbed the suspected smugglers alongwith the rare idol.

A rare idol of lord Buddha, valued at Rs four crore in the international market, was recovered and five persons arrested from a park in Varanasi in this connection, a police official said on Wednesday.

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On a tip off, a police team posing as prospective buyers nabbed the suspected smugglers alongwith the rare ashtdhatu (eight metal) idol, on Tuesday from Ravidas park under Lanka police circle area, police station in-charge Manoj Pant said.

The eight century idol was stolen from a museum in Patna two years ago, he said.

Those arrested have been identified as Avdesh Kumar Patel, Monu Maurya, Raju Maurya, Gopal Yadav and Mane Maurya, Pant said, adding a manhunt has been launched to nab the kingpin of the smugglers' gang.