They have a market value of over Rs 60 lakh and an archaeological value of over Rs 1.25 crore.
A treasure trove of antique gold coins, a metallic urn, a piece of gold, and old gold jewellery was unearthed during the reconstruction of a dilapidated house in Madhya Pradesh's Dhar district, the police said on Monday.
Additional Superintendent of Police, Devendra Patidar said, the treasure trove of archaeological importance was discovered by labourers while clearing the debris at the house, they then decided to not tell the owner and distributed the treasure among themselves.
One of the eight labourers in a drunken state said that he sold a coin in the market for about Rs 56,000 to foot his daily bills and to buy a second-hand phone, little did he know that his conversation would reach the police.
After receiving the information, the police arrested the labourers and recovered 86 coins so far.
The owner of the house was totally unaware of the treasure that was hidden in his house, which the police said had a market value of over Rs 60 lakh and an archaeological value of over Rs 1.25 crore.
The police said they have informed the archaeological department and the revenue department regarding the discovery.