CBI arrests final absconding accused in 2002 Garhwa Fort idol theft and murder case

PRAYAGRAJ, July 5, 2026:- The Central Bureau of Investigation has arrested an absconding accused, Ramnarayan, also known as Hyder, from Village Naseerpur in the Fatehpur district of Uttar Pradesh.

As detailed in the press release , the arrest is connected to a 2002 case involving dacoity, murder, and the theft of an ancient stone idol of Lord Buddha from the protected Garhwa Fort, an Archaeological Survey of India site in Prayagraj. The agency took over the case in September 2003 from the Shankargarh Police Station, where it was originally registered following an incident on the night of April 21, 2002.

During that incident, a gang of 11 individuals led by Vijay Kumar Shukla allegedly murdered watchman Vinod Kumar Srivastava by assaulting and gagging him, overpowered another guard, and stole the valuable idol, which broke into two pieces during its removal.

According to official the investigation revealed that the broken pieces of the idol were transported and sold by Shukla to two individuals for Rs. 2.20 Lakh before being moved to a godown in Mahipalpur, Delhi, and subsequently smuggled abroad. Following its initial probe, the federal agency filed a chargesheet in December 2005 against ten accused individuals, including four who had remained at large: Vijay Kumar Shukla, Ravi Karan, Suraj Bhan, and Ramnarayan. Through intelligence gathering, local source cultivation, and sustained surveillance, dedicated teams previously apprehended Suraj Bhan and Ravi Karan in mid-2026, while Shukla was traced to the Chitrakoot District Jail in connection with a separate Uttar Pradesh Police case, with production security steps initiated in a Lucknow court.

With the latest arrest of Ramnarayan in July 2026, all absconding accused in the case have now been traced to face trial.