Buddha statue head suspects caught after 16 yrs

Four suspects believed to have stolen the head of an ancient stone Buddha 16 years ago were caught recently by police but the ancient relic was still missing, Xi'an Evening News reported on Tuesday.

The stone statue stood in a temple which was built in 593–600 AD in Linyou county, Baoji, Shaanxi province. The statue's head was stolen on Aug 25, 1997.

In September, one of the suspects, surnamed Feng, was caught and confessed that he and three others stole the head 16 years ago. Police detained the other three suspects.