Rangpur:Three individuals were apprehended, and a 15.1 kg black stone statue of the Hindu deity Vishnu was recovered during an operation in the South Guptapara area of Rangpur city on Thursday night.
According to United News of Bangladesh, the Special Response Battalion (SRB)-13 also recovered four black stone fragments weighing a total of 6.8 kg during the raid. The operation was conducted based on a tip-off and targeted a first-floor flat of a four-storey building owned by AKM Humayun Kabir.
The arrested individuals, identified as Mizan, 42, from Guptapara; Mozaffar Hossain, 37, from Nayabazar village under Haragach Police Station; and Majedul Islam, 29, from Sonaton Siddik Bazar village under Kaunia Police Station, are alleged members of an idol-smuggling ring.
The recovered statue and stone fragments, along with the suspects, have been handed over to the relevant police station for further legal proceedings. A case has been filed against the arrestees, as stated by SRB-13.