Indore police today claimed to have busted a gang involved in illegal trade of antiques with the arrest of ten persons and seizure of three metal idols worth more than Rs 3 crore in the international market.
The police laid a trap after being tipped off that three ancient idols made from 'ashta-dhaatu' (eight-metal alloy) had been put up for sale on a WhatsApp group of real estate businessmen in the city.
Policemen acted as 'decoy' customers and nabbed the accused who were trying to sell off the idols, said Deputy Inspector General of Police H C Mishra.
Idols of Naag-kanya and Ganesh, both around 400 years old, and another Ganesh idol which is around a hundred years old were seized from them, Mishra told reporters here.
Police were probing from where the accused obtained these idols, he said.
The arrested men were identified as Tikamchand Kasera, Kalimuddin Bohra, Nathulal Prajapat, Aladev Sahu, Ramkumar Dindwani, Rajendra Soni, Akbar Khan, Waseem Akhtar, Mohammad Azaz and Murtaza Bohra.
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