Hindus, Muslims, Jains and Buddhists fume over religious thefts in Bihar

The Indian state of Bihar has seen a spate of religious thefts in recent days, with a series of raids on temples and mosques by thieves seeking religious works of art.

A Buddhist temple in Bihar. Image by Hideyuki KAMON / CC BY-SA 2.0

In the most recent theft, a 1400-year-old ‘footprint of Mohammed’ was stolen from a mosque in Patna, just days after sacred statues vanished from the Hindu Ram Janaki Math temple at Vaishali. Over the last five years, more than 200 Hindu idols have been stolen in Bihar, and ancient Jain and Buddhist statues have also been grabbed  by raiders. Police believe the statues are being traded on the international black market in stolen artworks, which places a high value on antique religious artwork from Asia. Read more: thedailystar.com