Lucknow, Aug 1 (IANS) Two men who worked for a Nepal-based gang involved in smuggling antique idols have been arrested along with an `ashtdhatu’ (eight-metal) idol worth over Rs.2 crore in Uttar Pradesh’s Siddharthnagar district, police said Monday.
Abdul Hannan and Hayat Ali were nabbed with Lord Shiva’s idol in Itwa area late Sunday.
‘Preliminary investigations reveal the two have been involved in smuggling of antique idols for over last five years,” police inspector Dinesh Yadav told reporters in Siddharthnagar, some 350-km from Lucknow.
‘According to the duo, the idol was stolen from a temple in Nepal. The two were nabbed while they on their way to hand over the idol to their two clients in Siddharthnagar,” he added.
