A former member of the Meegahakivula Pradeshiya Sabha has been arrested while attempting to sell a priceless Buddha statue believed to be around 1,300 years old and of immense archaeological value.
Ratnayake Mudiyanselage Kumaradasa, 55, had reportedly purchased the marble statue, weighing 14 kilograms and 18 inches tall, for Rs. 400,000 and was preparing to sell it for Rs. 700,000 when he was arrested by undercover police officers in Hasalaka last night.
Police have launched investigations to track down and apprehend the state official who allegedly sold the Buddha statue to the suspect.
Kumaradasa, a father of two, had served as a UNP member of the Meegahakivula Pradeshiya Sabha from 1997 to 2002.
He is scheduled to be charged under the Archaeological Act and produced before a court.
