Indore: Indore police claimed to have busted a gang involved in illegal trade of antiques with the arrest of ten persons and seizure of three metal idols worth more than Rs 3 crore in the international market on Thursday.
The police set up a trap after being tipped off that three ancient idols made from 'ashta-dhaatu' (eight-metal alloy) had been put up for sale on a WhatsApp group of real estate businessmen in the city.
Policemen acted as 'decoy' customers and nabbed the accused who were trying to sell off the idols, said Deputy Inspector General of Police H C Mishra.
Idols of Naag-kanya and Ganesh, both around 400 years old, and another Ganesh idol which is around a hundred years old were seized from them, Mr Mishra told reporters.
Police were probing from where the accused obtained these idols, he said.
The arrested men were identified as Tikamchand Kasera, Kalimuddin Bohra, Nathulal Prajapat, Aladev Sahu, Ramkumar Dindwani, Rajendra Soni, Akbar Khan, Waseem Akhtar, Mohammad Azaz and Murtaza Bohra.
The police set up a trap after being tipped off that three ancient idols made from 'ashta-dhaatu' (eight-metal alloy) had been put up for sale on a WhatsApp group of real estate businessmen in the city.
Policemen acted as 'decoy' customers and nabbed the accused who were trying to sell off the idols, said Deputy Inspector General of Police H C Mishra.
Police were probing from where the accused obtained these idols, he said.
Advertisement
COMMENTS
Advertisement
"Thought It Was A Rusty Bolt": 13-Year-Old Stumbles Upon Roman-Era Ring Archaeologists Discover 2,300-Year-Old Gold Ring In Jerusalem 344 Antiquities Have Been Returned Io India Since 2014: Centre Tells Parliament Life On Earth Originates From One Ancestor, Older Than Previously Believed Siddaramaiah's Swipe At Governor Amid Calls For Resignation: 10 Points Elon Musk's X To Close Brazil Operations Over "Censorship Orders" Retired Colonel Recalls How Daughter Was Eve-Teased On Her Way To College Top Institutes In India For Architecture And Planning Courses Passengers Can Now Rent Power Banks On NaMo Bharat Trains Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.