Kathmandu, May 6:

A goup of local people from Murkhang Ghegaon forcibly took away Rs 25,000 from the international team of explorers and scholars, who recently spotted a 14th century Buddha mural in Mustang, a government official said.

The incident took place at the confluence of the Charang Khola and Kali Gandaki and the gang belonged to Murkhang Ghegaon, a complaint filed by the exploration team at the Mustang District Administration Office stated.

Chief Archaeological Officer at the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, Prakash Darnal, said a group of around eight persons stopped the explorers on April 21, claiming that nobody was allowed to touch the sacred stones without their permission.

“The gang had demanded one million rupees from the team if they wanted to continue with their exploration and the deal was settled at Rs 25,000,” the government official said.