Three alleged members of an idol-smuggling ring were arrested and a 15.1kg black stone statue of Hindu deity Vishnu was recovered during a drive in the South Guptapara area of Rangpur city on Thursday night.
Four black stone fragments weighing 6.8 kg in total were also recovered during the operation, Biplob Kumar Goswami, senior assistant director (Media) of Special Response Battalion (SRB)-13, said on Friday morning.
The arrestees are Mizan, 42, of Guptapara, Mozaffar Hossain, 37, of Nayabazar village under Haragach Police Station, and Majedul Islam, 29, of Sonaton Siddik Bazar village under Kaunia Police Station.
According to SRB-13, a team raided a first-floor flat of a four-storey building owned by AKM Humayun Kabir in South Guptapara following a tip-off.
The team recovered the Vishnu statue and four stone fragments and arrested the three alleged members of the smuggling ring.
The arrestees, recovered statue and other seized items were handed over to the police station concerned for further legal action. A case was also filed against the arrestees, the SRB-13 said.