Rare statues stolen from Bangladesh airport

Two priceless terracotta statues of the Hindu God Vishnu have been stolen from Bangladesh’s main airport on their way to a European exhibition.

The 1,500-year-old statues were taken from Dhaka’s Zia International Airport yesterday.

Ayub Quadri, the government’s cultural affairs adviser, said: “We have asked police to find the rare objects at any cost.

“We are investigating how the statues were stolen. We are determined to find them.”

The statues were among 143 relics Bangladesh has agreed to send to France for an exhibition at Guimet Museum in Paris due to open early next year.

Mr Quadri said the government has stepped up its vigil along Bangladesh’s frontier with India after reports that the stolen objects could be smuggled out.

Police questioned 12 airport employees detained after the theft.

Art lovers had opposed the shipment, fearing that the objects might be stolen.

“These are masterpieces and very valuable to our cultural heritage. The government should not have agreed to send them abroad,” Shamsuzzaman Khan, a former head of the Bangladesh National Museum said.