Police display the idols which were stolen in Gaya on Thursday. Six suspected idol smugglers were arrested in Gaya and four rare idols of Hindu deities, including Rama, Sita, Lakshman and Hanuman, made of ashtadhatu (an alloy of eight metals) were recovered from them. Senior superintendent of police (SSP) Vinay Kumar said the idols were stolen from a temple in Tekari Bazaar under Tekari police station of the district on January 28. “The idols are precious and the thieves were trying to sell them in the international market,” the SSP said. Apart from the stolen idols, the police also recovered 20 live cartridges, five cellphones and gunpowder from their possession, the SSP said. Text by Alok Kumar, Picture by Suman