Two arrested with stolen 'ashta-dhatu' idols

Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) personnel today arrested two persons in Kishanganj district while trying to cross over to Nepal and recovered two idols made of 'ashta-dhatu' (eight metals) from them.
SSB 36th battalion Assistant Commandant Vikas Kumar said it appeared that the arrested persons stole the idols from some temple in the vicinity.
"One idol is of Gautam Buddha, while the other is of Ravana. They weigh around 500 grams each. They were taking them to Nepal for selling them," he said.
Experts have been called to value the antiquity and price of the idols that seem to be very old, he said.

The two have been identified as Kauli Singh and Santosh Kumar of Kathalbari village in Thakurganj block of Kishanganj district.
A thriving network of smugglers keeps stealing antique idols from temples in Bihar. They sell them in Nepal from where they are sent to other countries in the East and West, where collectors buy them at very high prices, police sources said.