Patna/Jamui, Dec. 6: The state police on Sunday recovered the stolen 2,600-year-old idol of Lord Mahavir, the 24th Tirthankar of the Jains, from a ditch next to the Jamui-Sikandra-Madhve road around 6am.

The dramatic recovery of the 250kg idol eight days after it went missing from a Jain temple at Lachchuar village, around 20km west of the Jamui district headquarters town, also raised eyebrows over the state government's decision to hand the case over to the CBI even before the state's own police force could finish investigations.

A senior police officer said the police sought the help of some incarcerated Maoist leaders and gang lords to solve the idol theft case. "It was not possible to recover the precious idol in such a short period without the support of the Maoists, who have a strong presence in the area," the police officer, who did not wish to be identified, said.

Additional director-general of police (headquarters) Sunil Kumar confirmed that the cops had found the idol from a roadside ditch around 200km southeast of Patna. The thieves had abandoned the antique piece on the spot because of police pressure, he claimed. Sunil did not rule out the involvement of some insiders in the theft.

He said that the police had detained at least four members of the gang involved in the crime. "They provided vital clues in the case, which helped the police recover the stolen idol intact," he added.

Khaira police station house officer Ramnath Rai said some local youngsters noticed the idol abandoned beside the road near Hussainganj Bichchawe village, around 5km northeast of the police station. "The youths, who were preparing for physical test for their appointment in the police organisations and the army, found the idol and informed us," he added.

He, however, denied initial reports that the thieves had escaped with the idol's diamond-studded mukut (crown). "It was a rumour," he said.

Jamui SP Jayant Kant, heading the special investigation team, said: "Solving the case with the limited resources was a big challenge for the police. Our first priority was to recover the idol as the incident had hurt the sentiments of people belonging to a particular community."

Considering the archaeological significance of the stolen statue and involvement of interstate gangs in such incidents, the state government had recommended a CBI probe on November 29. A CBI team led by a DIG-rank officer, Navin Singh, had visited Jamui and held a meeting with the officers concerned including the local police.

Sunil said the police would apprise the CBI of the development in the case lodged at the Khaira police station. "The interrogation is still underway and it would not be justified to share more details about our operation," he added.

The police headquarters had sent officers from the criminal investigation department (CID), special task force (STF) and the economic offences unit (EOU) to Jamui to assist the district police in the investigation. Even the officers, adept in handling cases of theft of idols and artefacts, were pressed into service, ADG Sunil revealed.

Jayant - whose team will get an award from the police headquarters for cracking the case - revealed that separate police teams had been camping in Delhi, Gurgaon, Mathura and Bhopal to pick up suspects. "The police would reveal the names of the accused after their arrest," he said, adding that the gang had a countrywide network.

As the news of the idol recovery spread, a number of Jains and local villagers reached the spot and started offering prayers. The police had a tough time dealing with the situation. It took several hours to load the statue onto a vehicle to bring it to the dharamshala in Lachchuar. Some followers were seen throwing currency notes in jubilation. The police said a sum of Rs 27 lakh was received as donation from the devotees during maha aarti of the deity after it was brought to Lachchuar. The deity will be under strict surveillance of the personnel of the special auxiliary police till its re-installation, Jayant said.

Jain community members hailed the idol recovery. Patna-Gujarati Samaj president Vipin Kothari said: "We thank chief minister Nitish Kumar and the police for their initiatives to recover the priceless idol."