HYDERABAD: Suryapet police on Monday, December 20, 2021, arrested a 11-member gang and seized from them an antique panchaloha idol of Gautam Buddha. The idol would cost around Rs 30 lakh, said SP S Rajendra Prasad. Cops conducted searches near the new bus stand in Suryapet town. They also seized the idol, a cash counting machine, a weighing machine and an SUV. The idol weighs 26.30 kg.
The police found that around five years ago, M Venugopal from AP purchased the idol from unknown persons in Guntur district for Rs 5 lakh, believing it would bring him luck. However, when he did not get any desired results, he decided to sell the idol. He and his friends planned to sell the idol to another gang for Rs 1 crore. The other gang also made a plan to sell the idol again for Rs 2 crore. Accordingly, both gangs arrived in Suryapet town to close the deal, where they were nabbed.