India calls off search for buried treasure
India has ended a search for treasure underneath a 19th century fort after finding only a few bones and terracotta bricks but none of the gold predicted by a Hindu holy man’s dream.
The search began on October 18 in Uttar Pradesh state in northern India after Hindu swami Shobhan Sarkar told a government minister that a former king appeared to him in a dream and told him of a haul worth nearly £31bn.
The leader of the dig, Praveen Kumar Mishra, said the hunt had been suspended. The government was said to have spent 1.6 million rupees (£16,000) on digging at the site.
The opposition said the government search was triggered by the holy man’s dream. However, the Geological Survey of India has said it found signs of heavy metal about 66 ft underground