Four black stone Vishnu idols recovered in Naogaon

A taskforce of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) recovered four black stone idols of Hindu god Vishnu, worth Tk 1.25 crore, from Naogaon on Wednesday night.

The idols -- weighing from 13 to 38 kilogrammes -- were found abandoned in Borshail area of  Sadar upazila, said Lt Col AKM Ariful Islam, commanding officer of BGB-16 in Naogaon, yesterday.

Acting on a tip-off, the taskforce led by Executive Magistrate BM Tarikuzzaman raided the area and found the idols near a residence, he said.

Members of law enforcement agencies assisted during the drive, he added.

Lt Col Ariful said they suspect some smugglers hid the idols there and were planning to take those out of the country. The idols, which are under their custody at the moment, will be submitted to a court on the next working day to decide the next course of action, he added.

Mohammad Suhrawardy, officer-in-charge of Naogaon Model Police Station, said a team from the police station were present during the drive. He said they will investigate the matter, once the paramilitary force hands over the alamat [seized evidence] to them.