Siliguri, May 20: The antique idols seized recently from the India-Nepal border were smuggled out of Bangladesh and were heading for Nepal for buyers from other countries.

This was the preliminary conclusion that the intelligence wing of the Siliguri customs has arrived at after a series of seizures of idols in the region over the past one year.

The idols were to be first taken to Nepal from where they would be sold to customers from different countries,” said D. Sahu, the joint commissioner of customs, Sikkim and north Bengal region.

Sahu said the customs officials of the Siliguri and Sikkim region had recovered antique items worth more than Rs 2 crore in the past one year.

According to a customs official, it is very difficult for the smugglers to acquire idols in India where they are worshipped and protected. “But in Bangladesh, it is much easier to procure such antiques on payment,” the official said.