MEDAN – Resort police of Sibolga city again thwarted the illegal selling of Nias tribe megalithic statues. The human shaped statues were about to be sold by someone with initials WE (47) to Medan. The Nias statue selling has occurred repeatedly through land and sea.

“WE confessed that he was just a middle-man, the recipient in Medan is initialed R. We will pursue him. We suspect that these two are only courriers. There is a group fencing these historic items,” said the Chief of Criminal Investigation Unit of Sibolga Police, Police Commissioner Attendant Aswin Nor, Sunday, when contacted from Medan.

The police currently is tracking the group fencing the statues. The unravelling of this statue smuggling is due to information from a local to the police. WE brought the statues in a Suzuki APV leaving from Gunungsitoli by ferry. “The ship arrived in Sibolga on Sunday, at 11.00, then we checked it and found the statue,” said Aswin.

For indepth information, the police has inspected three witnesses who were drivers and owners of cars for rent. According to WE, the statues were obtained from a village in South Nias Regency. WE bought it from a local with Rp. 5 million as downpayment.

The human shaped statues, he said, was 70 cms high and each alike to one another. WE tried to fool the officers by keeping them in a fiberglass box usually for containing fish. (Kompas, 23 November 2009)

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