Rare Buddha idol recovered, 5 held

Varanasi, Oct 10 (UNI) An 8th century Lord Buddha idol estimated to be worth Rs 4 crore was recovered from the possession of five people in Lanka area here this evening.

Station Officer (Lanka Police Station) Manoj Pant said the rare idol, which allegedly sweats when brought in contact with heat, was recovered from Nagwa park following a tip off.

The miscreants Avadhesh Patel, Monu Maurya, Rajiv Maurya, Gopal Yadav and Moon Kumar Maurya -- all members of an inter-state gang operating from Varanasi were also nabbed.

The 'asthadhatu' idol in 'Padamasan' posture was stolen from a museum in Patna last week.

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