Allahabad (Uttar Pradesh), Feb 9 (IANS) Two men have been arrested here with an ‘ashtadhatu’ (eight-metal alloy) idol worth around Rs.20 million (over $400,000), police said Wednesday.
The men, who worked for an inter-state racket involved in smuggling of antique idols, were nabbed Tuesday night from the Civil Lines area.
‘They were arrested while they were on their way to Mumbai to hand over the goddess Durga idol to their clients,’ police inspector R.B. Singh told reporters here. Allahabad is some 200 km from state capital Lucknow.
‘According to the men, the idol was stolen from Gujarat. Preliminary investigations indicate that the duo had their clients in various states of the country. They could also be linked to a Nepal-based racket involved in smuggling of antique idols,’ he said.
