CHITWAN: A statue has been stolen from the Mahaboudha monastery in ward no. 2 of Bharatpur metropolis last night. The gold plated statue was three feet tall.

Along with the statue, the donation box of the monastery was also broken and the cash stolen, according to Chairperson of the Monastery Management Committee Bimala Gurung.

The donation box had a significant amount of cash donated by visitors coming to the Monastery for the past three years.

The thieves broke off the lock in the Monastery gate to carry out the theft. The theft came to light when monks went to the monastery for worshipping at 4:00 am this morning and police were informed about it.

Meanwhile, police have launched a manhunt to find those involved in the theft and the stolen statue.