[MSN] Buddhist monks in Bihar Wednesday have held the state government responsible for the alleged security lapse that resulted in the theft of 18 valuable bronze Buddha statues Monday night from the museum here.

[Museum Security Network Mailinglist]

Monks blame security failure for theft
Buddhist monks in Bihar Wednesday have held the state government responsible
for the alleged security lapse that resulted in the theft of 18 valuable
bronze Buddha statues Monday night from the museum here.
2006-09-28 01:03:58

Buddhist monks in Bihar Wednesday have held the state government responsible
for the alleged security lapse that resulted in the theft of 18 valuable
bronze Buddha statues Monday night from the museum here.

The monks also threatened to launch a campaign demanding security to protect
Buddhist antique pieces and places related to the religion in the state.

They said the state government has not learnt any lesson from the reported
cutting off a branch of the holy Bodhi tree few months ago.

The stolen statues were scheduled to be displayed at an international
exhibition in France next month.

According to a museum official, statues were missing from the first floor
gallery. 

Said Bhante Anand, president of the Bodh Gaya Mahabodhi Vihar All India
Action Committee: 'We are worried over the theft of Buddha statues. 

'The theft of the statues suggests that international mafia is active in
Bihar to target Buddhist places in view of the soft security system.'

The state government has ordered a high level probe into the theft. The
state police has already alerted the Interpol and sealed the Bihar-Nepal,
Bihar-Uttar Pradesh and Bihar-Jharkhand borders in an attempt to nab the
culprits.

Inspector General of Police (Administration) Anil Sinha said a special team
involving top officials has also been constituted to apprehend the culprits
and recover the missing artifacts worth millions of dollars in the black
market.

- Indo Asian News Service