Man nabbed with rare statue

Indika Polkotuwa

A suspect in possession of a rare gilded statue of a deity was nabbed by officers of the Central Province Police intelligence unit as he was trying to sell it to a gem merchant from Ratnapura for Rs 2 million at Davulugala yesterday.

Police said investigations revealed that the suspect had obtained the statue weighing over six kilos and one foot in height from a resident in Anuradhapura, who wanted him to sell to a prospective buyer.

Police conducting investigations have sent the statue to the Archaeology Department of the Peradeniya University for examination and report.