A 13th Century Lord Vishnu idol, smuggled into the Capital by a notorious antique thief from West Bengal, has been recovered from a gems trader by the Delhi Police Crime Branch on Wednesday. The idol is estimated to be worth Rs.1 crore in the international market.
Accused Israr-ul-Haque, a 42-year-old resident of Jaipur in Rajasthan, was arrested when he was about to board a bus to Jaipur from Mori Gate.
“A 14-inch tall and 13-inch wide antique idol of Lord Vishnu carved in black stone was seized from him,” said a police officer, adding that the idol probably belonged to the Sena Dynasty or the Deva Kingdom of medieval Bengal.
The officer said the idol has four arms and is in a standing position on a lotus. Statues of 10 men and women, two elephants and two horses are carved around the main statue.
During interrogation, the accused purportedly disclosed to the police that the idol had been given to him by Tapas, a resident of Nadia in West Bengal. It was apparently been stolen from a Malda temple .
“Israr is engaged in the business of gems and antiques in Jaipur for the past six years. He works for one Shakeel, also a resident of Jaipur, who bought and sold several antique statues obtained from Tapas and his gang in Malda. Shakeel was arrested at IP Estate here in October in a similar case,” said the officer.
