Man held with Rs 5 lakh Buddha idol at Indo-Nepal border

SSB personnel today apprehended a person who was allegedly smuggling an antique Buddha idol worth Rs 5 lakh from across the Indo-Nepal border here.

The incident took place at the Marchawa Bagh border area in this district when Sashastra Seema Bal troops intercepted a person whose movements were found to be suspicious.

"A 10.75-kg antique 'asthdhatu' idol of Buddha was recovered from the person who is a resident of Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh. The idol has a 10 per cent composition of gold," a senior SSB officer said.

They said the ten-inch idol could cost as much as Rs 12 crore in the international black market and the person had paid an advance of Rs 65,000 for the same to a Nepalese man from whom he had purchased it.
 

The person was later handed over to local police, the officer said.