Ancient statues worth Rs 10 cr recovered from Siliguri

MP | 1 February 2020 | Kolkata: Acting on a tip-off, Customs officials on Thursday evening recovered several ancient statues worth Rs 10 crore from Siliguri. 

According to sources, the officers came to know that few pieces of ancient artefacts would be smuggled through Siliguri. 

Based on this information, the officials identified a car without a registration plate on the stretch between Fulbari in Jalpaiguri and Phansidewa in Darjeeling district. 

After being chased, the accused persons dumped the car at an abandoned spot and managed to flee. 

While searching the vehicle, the officials found six ancient statues of Buddha, Nataraj, Lord Vishnu and Lord Krishna. 

It is suspected that the statues, worth around Rs 10 crore, were being taken to Bagdogra for a hand-over. 

To examine the seized statues, the Customs officials have requested the History department of North Bengal University and other experts to visit their office soon. 

It is also suspected that the statues of the gods might have dated back to the Sena rule in Bengal. 

Other statues that were recovered are believed to have been stolen and smuggled from South India. Search is on to arrest the accused persons.