Bihar Police have arrested a prime suspect from Bareilly in Uttar Pradesh over the theft of the two-millennia-old antique idol of Mahavira, which was stolen from a Jain temple and later recovered, police said on Wednesday.
The black stone idol, weighing some 250 kg, was recovered in Bihar's Jamui district. It was stolen from a temple in the district on November 27.
Prakash Razak, a gangster, was arrested from Bareilly by a team of Bihar Police.
"Razak's gang is suspected to be behind the theft of the antique idol. He was arrested after his mobile was traced the day the idol was stolen," a police official said.
Razak, a resident of a village in Jamui, has many criminal cases, including those of murder, kidnapping and extortion, lodged against him in Jamui and Nawada and in neighbouring Jharkhand.
Jamui Superintendent of Police Jayant Kant told IANS that a police team recovered the priceless antique idol from a field near Bichche village.
Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has lauded police for their efforts.
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