Ashtadhatu idol recovered, two held in UP

With the recovery of an Ashtadhatu idol worth over Rs five crore and the arrest of two persons here, police today claimed to have busted a gang of idol smugglers.
"An idol of Buddha, weighing 1.14 kg, was recovered from the smugglers. It contains 38 per cent gold," SSP Rakesh Singh said.
Those arrested have been identified as Ram Kishan Upadhyay and Birjo Thakur, the SSP said.
The kingpin of the gang, identified as Nihal Singh, is absconding, he said.