[CPProt.net] A bust of Buddha today triggered speculation that it was the one that had been stolen from the Indian Museum on December 29 last year

[MSN CPPnet]

RESCUE OF THE BUDDHA 
 June 3, 2005
 
Mystery over true identity 
 
Express News Service 
 
Kolkata, June 3: A bust of Buddha - bearing an inscription claiming it
belonged to 5th Century, AD - today triggered speculation that it was the
one that had been stolen from the Indian Museum on December 29 last year. 

The bust was recovered in a police raid at the residence of a travel agent
in North 24-Parganas. 
 
However, after the first round of examination, experts ruled out the
possibility of the bust being the one that had been stolen fro the museum as
it was not made of the same sandstone. But they will examine the recovered
piece again tomorrow. 

The travel agent from whose Belghoria residence police seized the bust today
said during interrogation that it had been gifted to him by a Thai national
last year. The agent claimed that the Thai national was an art student who
used to frequent the Indian Museum. 

Addressing the media, deputy commissioner (Central) Ajay Kumar said: "We
recovered a Buddha bust today from the residence of one person in Belghoria
in North 24-Parganas district." He, however, refused to divulge any details
of the person from whose residence the Buddha bust was seized. The
inscription at its bottom reads: "5th Century AD, Saranath, UP, Indian
Museum, Calcutta". 

The bust bears a striking resemblance to the sandstone piece that was stolen
from the archaeology section of the Indian Museum on December 29. "Indian
Museum sells replicas of many statutes and busts. We did not, however, have
any replica of the Buddha bust which was stolen last year. The nose of the
stolen bust was broken. But the nose of the one seized today is alright. The
seized bust will be brought to the museum tomorrow and our experts will
examine it. An first appearance, the seized bust seems to be a fake," said
director of Indian Museum S.K. Basu.