Antiques in police custody for 15 years

Statues of two Hindu deities in Bihar have been in police custody for the past 15 years eagerly awaiting prospective bailers. Police said no one has claimed the religious antiques and said anyone willing to do so would have to pay a bond of Rs4.2 million (Dh342,521). The deities include Hanuman, known as the monkey god, said to wield immense power, and Varuna, the god of water, the god of law and the underworld. Police officials said the court fixed the high price for security money considering their high value. The antique statues are made of precious metals whose estimated value is said to be around Rs30 million. The statues were locked away at the Krishna Garh police station in central Bihar\'s Bhojpur district after they were recovered from a smuggling gang in 1996. Police said they were stolen from a temple at Gudi village in April 1994. They then became the property of the government. The temple owner Yugal Kishore Singh said he was shocked to discover the deities after more than a decade. \"It pains me to see the gods in the police custody but we villagers are simply helpless. We are too poor to arrange for such huge money... and get them out....\" From / Gulf News