Unnao gold hunt called off, ASI stops excavation: Report

The Archaeological Survey of India announced that there was no hidden gold in Unnao as claimed by seer Shobhan Sarkar.

Zee Media Bureau

Lucknow: It’s official! Seer Shobhan Sarkar’s dream has deflated and India’s hunt for gold has met an unsuccessful ending. The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) on Tuesday announced that there was no hidden gold in Unnao as claimed by seer Shobhan Sarkar. It has now decided to wind up the excavation, which began on October 18, soon. Digging to unearth 1,000 tonnes of gold, said to be buried beneath the ruins of Raja Rao Ram Bux Singh`s fort, near Daundia Kheda village, in Uttar Pradesh`s Unnao district, had begun amid heavy security. Remnants of a brick wall and other debris were found during the excavation, but not treasure. Seer Shobhan Sarkar had a dream about presence of a huge quantity of gold and approached his devotee, union Minister of State for Agriculture Charan Das Mahant, and the PMO, following which the survey and excavation were undertaken. Preliminary findings suggested presence of "some metal underneath the earth", following which ASI teams decided to proceed with the excavation.