The police have recovered a rare ashtadhatu Buddha idol worth Rs 34 crore in the international market from a smuggler in Bahraich on Saturday.
According to police, a man, identified as Mandhandak Maurya, was apprehended in Ramgaon police station area with a 29 kilogram Buddha idol when he was going to Mumbai along with four others to sell it.
However, Mandhandak Maurya's accomplices managed to escape and efforts are on to arrest them. Police said the idol was smuggled from Nepal.