Labourers unearth gold coins in Maharashtra school

Pune, Nov 8: Labourers digging at a school campus in Maharashtra stumbled upon a minor treasure -- a cache of 847 gold coins of an unknown period, bearing inscriptions in Greek and Urdu, and worth roughly Rs.4.2 million, the police said Saturday.

The labourers tried to keep secret their find but were apprehended.

The treasure trove weighs 2.47 kg and is worth about Rs.4.20 million, an investigating officer told IANS.

The gold coins were recovered Friday when some labourers were digging to construct a new swimming pool on the campus of the Gadgil Municipal High School at Shaniwarpeth in Pune.

Three labourers attempted to steal the coins but were later arrested by the police. The entire cache was recovered from the accused.

Shivappa Husanappa Godekar, 40, of Pune, Mallesh Pareshram Nadavikari, 25, of Karnataka and Bhimsha Tirappa Bansode of Sholapur were presented in a city court and released on bail Saturday.

The police have called archaeological and history experts to ascertain the historic origins and the exact value of the gold coins.