Trader arrested while selling ‘gold statue’

The Police Special Task Force (STF) on Wednesday (29) arrested a gem and jewellery trader who was preparing to sell an ancient gold statue for Rs. 45 million.

The statue is of a woman wearing jewels. The raid has been carried out by the Special Task Force soldiers attached to STF camp in Vavuniya on a tip off and the STF personnel disguised as businessmen have reached the place

The businessman is a resident of Moragoda and the transaction was to be carried out at his house

The STF soldiers also carried out a chemical test to see if the statue was actually a gold statue. During the inspection, the STF confirmed that the statue was a gold statue.

Investigations have revealed that this businessman even had a licence from the Gem and Jewellery Authority, which has expired since 2016. The STF said it was seeking the assistance of the Archaeological Department to investigate the ancient value of the statue.