Buddha statue recovered, three arrested - Police say it was looted from Ramu

Your Right To Know
Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Staff Correspondent

Another statue of Lord Gautama Buddha, which police say was looted from Cox's Bazar's Ramu during an attack by religious bigots on the Buddhist community on September 29, was recovered from the capital's Bhashantek late Sunday.

Police claimed the five-inch, 750 gramme statue was made of uranium and other metals.

Three people -- Billal Hossain, 38, Mohammad Ali, 68, and Mohammad Kadir, 55, of Gazipur -- were arrested in this connection.

Sunday's statue takes the recovery to seven out of some 300 looted from temples and monasteries during the mayhem. Five persons were arrested so far in this connection.

Officer-in-Charge Hosne Ara Begum of Bhashantek Police Station said on information they raided an area near Milon Hotel around 11:20pm and made the recovery and arrests.

The arrestees were trying to sell the statue in the black market, she said, adding, “We sought a five-day remand from a Dhaka court for the arrestees to know how and from where they got the statue.”