Police recovered a golden-colored idol weighing around 500 grams from a village home in Atgharia upazila on Tuesday afternoon, two days after a child discovered it near a local school.
According to local residents and police sources, nine-year-old Rukaiya Khatun was playing with friends near Dengargram High School on Sunday afternoon when she noticed a discarded snack packet hidden between the roots of a banyan tree. Inside, she found the half-kilogram statue and brought it home to her family without immediately alerting neighbors.
"I found the package hidden between the roots while playing," Rukaiya said. "When I opened it and saw a golden statue, I was excited and took it straight to my father and grandfather."
Her grandfather, Abdul Mannan, admitted the family initially kept the discovery quiet out of safety concerns. However, as word leaked out and drew intense curiosity from local villagers on Tuesday morning, the family decided to inform the authorities.
Atgharia Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Nazmul Haque stated that a police team rushed to the house at around 1:00 PM on Tuesday to take custody of the artifact.
"We are treating the recovery with great seriousness," OC Haque said. "The exact metal composition, antiquity, and origin of the idol will be determined through laboratory testing. A formal investigation is underway to find out how the object ended up hidden at the school ground."
