Ancient idol recovered from ‘Rice Puller’ gang, 6 arrested

Our Correspondent in Azamgarh

Ancient ‘ashtadhatu’ idol which was stolen from Ram Janki Mandir in Azamgarh was recovered by police after a brief encounter in which six members of the gang including a woman was arrested. According to the police, the ancient idol is hundreds of year old and worth several crores in the International market.
On the intervening night of May 25, the gang stole the idol by overpowering the priest of the temple. After extensive digital surveillance, the Azamgarh Police received information that the accused were trying to strike a deal will international smugglers and sell the ancient idol in the grey market for several crores.

The CRACKDOWN

A team under the supervision of Azamgarh, Superintendent of Police (SP), Triveni Singh laid a trap after getting specific movement through digital surveillance. After a brief encounter, six people of the gang including a woman was arrested. Police recovered ashtadhatu idol from their bag which they were trying to sell. The team involved in the crackdown was rewarded with Rs 50,000.

MODUS OPERANDI

During the questioning, the gang revealed that they used the traditional and scientific method of rice pulling to check if the idol is antique. Rice Pulling in simple terms is capability to attract (or pulls) rice towards the ancient idol, something similar to how a magnet attracts iron particles. These idols or metals are rare and impossible to find.
The rice-puller is an ancient artefact which made of copper and iridium and possesses astounding capabilities which include drawing grains of rice towards it. It is highly valuable as conmen claim its utility in nuclear reactors or aeronautics. Some con artists claim that the metal acquires these properties when lightning strikes it or that it falls on earth when lightning strikes, adding to its mystique. Some scamsters have used rice pulling method to dupe investors claiming that American space agency NASA uses such metals in satellites and for energy generation.