Police to hand over statue of deity taken into custody to Archaeology Dept. to ascertain its value

By Norman Palihawadane

Mulleriyawa police have decided to hand over to the Department of Archaeology a metal statue of a deity, taken into custody recently, to ascertain whether it has any antique value.

The statue was found during a raid following a tip-off that a group of persons were trying to sell it to foreigners, police said.

Two persons were arrested with the statue in an operation conducted with the help of decoys at Mulleriyawa, police said. The suspects are residents of Angoda and Kaduwela.

The statue would be sent to the Archaeology Department to assess its value and to ascertain whether it is an authentic antique, police said.

The suspects were being interrogated to find out from where they had received the statue.

The Mulleriyawa police are conducting further investigations.