Stolen 'ashtadhatu' idols of Mahavira recovered in Bihar

Kishanganj: The police on Wednesday arrested one person and recovered three 'ashtadhatu' (made of eight metals) idols of Lord Mahavira stolen from a Jain temple in Kishanganj district of Bihar.

Kishanganj Superintendent of Police Rajiv Ranjan said the idols were stolen in May from Jain Digambar Temple at Thakurganj in the district.

The people belonging to the Jain community were on relay hunger strike since then to press for their recovery.

"The police had been investigating the case and conducting raids for the recovery. Unnerved by the pressure, the thieves left the idols at the house of a former Mukhiya and RJD leader Mushtaq Alam. We have arrested one Mohammad Jubaidul of Amaljhari village in this connection," Ranjan said.

The idols are around 150 year old and are considered invaluable. Their disappearance had created a sensation in the area.

Darbhanga zonal Inspector General (IG) Amit Kumar Jain had himself visited the temple and supervised the investigations.