Antique gold coins worth INR 12.5 million ($156,372), a metallic urn, a piece of gold and old gold jewelry were recovered during the reconstruction of a dilapidated house in Dhar district of Madhya Pradesh, the state police said on Monday.
“The treasure trove of archaeological importance was discovered by laborers while clearing the debris at the house, they then decided to not tell the owner and distributed the treasure among themselves,” Additional Superintendent of Police Devendra Patidar said.
According to media reports, the incident came into the light after one of the laborers engaged in the reconstruction found the coins and disclosed it to his friends about selling one of those coins to settle the outstanding hotel dues and buy a second-hand motorbike.
The police received the information about the incident through a network of informers. Later, they initiated a probe, detained the concerned laborer and questioned him.
Following the interrogation, the police recovered all the 86 coins. The police said that the archaeological department and the revenue department have been informed about the recovery.
The media reports also said that the owner of the house was not aware of the hidden treasure.