2 touchstone statues worth Tk 95 lakh seized

A special patrol party from the Joypurhat 5 Rifle Battalion of Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) seized the statues before being smuggled out to India, official sources said.

Acting on a tip off, the BDR party in a pre-dawn swoop seized a precious touchstone statue -- 18 inches by 12 inches in size and weighing of 25 kgs -- worth about Tk 25 lakh from the Kamdia Bazar under Gobindaganj upazila of Gaibandha district.

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The same team seized another 70 kg touchstone status of Radha Binodini -- 19 inches by 19 inches in size -- worth about Tk 70 lakh from the bank of a pond in village Boli under Kalai upazila of Joypurhat district.

Commanding Officer Ltd Col. A R M Zoaherul Islam of Joypurhat 5 Rifle Battalion said the seized touchstones statues would be sent to the National Museum in Dhaka soon along with other touchstone statues worth about Tk 25 crore seized by his jawans since May last year from the bordering areas.