A 27-year-old Italian man has been
detained in Nepal for allegedly taking protected archaeological
relics away from their place of origin, foreign ministry sources
said Monday, confirming press reports.
The man, named as Tiziano Ronchi, is a lecturer in visual arts
at Brescia's Accademia Santa Giulia.
The foreign ministry sources said Nepal's law protecting
cultural and religious relics are particularly strict.
The allegations centre on a wooden fragment that was allegedly
taken during a visit to a temple in the city of Bhaktapur.
Ronchi's defence is that he had taken the pieces away to observe
them and then return them to their place of origin.
He was detained last week and is currently in hospital due to
problems linked to pre-existing conditions.
The foreign ministry is following the case via the Italian
consulate in Calcutta, the sources said.
Photo: a police officer in Nepal.
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