Eight held in connection with theft of two rare terracotta artefacts
Friday, 28 December 2007
The Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) Wednesday arrested eight more people in connection with the theft of the two rare terracotta artefacts of Hindu god Vishnu, reports UNB.
Sources at RAB headquarters said members of the elite force arrested eight persons from different parts of the city suspecting their involvement in the stealing of the two artefacts.
During interrogation, the arrested people reportedly confessed that they stole the artefacts from Zia International Airport. After heisting the masterpieces, they broke both the rare artefacts into pieces and threw them into a dustbin.
Following their statement, the RAB men have been conducting raids in city's Uttara, Mirpur, Jatrabari and Savar areas looking for the broken pieces of the two statues.
The artefacts were found missing last Friday (Dec 21) during a check of the cartons that were being shifted to a plane of Air France. Later, police arrested 15 people, including three Air France officials, who are now on police remand.
Some 147 artefacts packed in 13 cartons were taken to the airport on Friday to send them to Paris for exhibition at Guimet Museum.
On Tuesday night, the government decided not to send the artefacts to Guimet Museum and to take back from the airport the 12 cartons containing 145 artefacts to the National Museum.
Sources at RAB headquarters said members of the elite force arrested eight persons from different parts of the city suspecting their involvement in the stealing of the two artefacts.
During interrogation, the arrested people reportedly confessed that they stole the artefacts from Zia International Airport. After heisting the masterpieces, they broke both the rare artefacts into pieces and threw them into a dustbin.
Following their statement, the RAB men have been conducting raids in city's Uttara, Mirpur, Jatrabari and Savar areas looking for the broken pieces of the two statues.
The artefacts were found missing last Friday (Dec 21) during a check of the cartons that were being shifted to a plane of Air France. Later, police arrested 15 people, including three Air France officials, who are now on police remand.
Some 147 artefacts packed in 13 cartons were taken to the airport on Friday to send them to Paris for exhibition at Guimet Museum.
On Tuesday night, the government decided not to send the artefacts to Guimet Museum and to take back from the airport the 12 cartons containing 145 artefacts to the National Museum.