The idol of Lord Mahavir, believed to be over 2,000 years old, was stolen on Friday from a temple in Lachuar village in Jamui, the birthplace of the Jain saint
The theft of an ancient Jain idol from a village in Bihar has been handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation or CBI.
The idol of Lord Mahavir, believed to be over 2,000 years old, was stolen on Friday from a temple in Lachuar village in Jamui, the birthplace of the Jain saint.
The black stone idol weighs around 250 kg.
The theft has led to "deep anguish" in the Jain community across the world, said officials in Bihar, adding that the government had asked the CBI to take over the investigation.
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, who was informed about the theft by some Bihar MPs, including union minister Ram Vilas Paswan's son Chirag Paswan, also spoke to Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.
Mr Kumar had earlier ordered a Special Investigation Team to inquire into the theft.
"In these kind of idol thefts there's a possibility of the involvement of an inter-state or international gang and the CBI has the expertise in cracking such cases, so our (police chief) spoke to the CBI Director to take up the matter," the Chief Minister said.
"I would like to appeal to Jain followers that we are investigating this matter with seriousness," he added.
A few CBI officers visited the temple on Monday.