Serial thieves steal 6 busts in Tehran

Six bronze busts of social celebrities have been stolen by serial thieves across the Iranian capital of Tehran since the New Year holidays.

The bronze sculpture of the Iranian contemporary poet, Mohammad Hossein Shahriar, was the first bust to be stolen from the courtyard of Tehran's City Theater.

Busts of Sattar Khan and Baqer Khan were also among the stolen statues that were taken off their pedestals on the streets of Tehran. The two figures are Iranian freedom fighters and key figures in the Iranian Constitutional Revolution.

Three other statues were stolen from the courtyard of Iran Art Organization that was open to public view since the start of Nowruz holidays on March 21.

Tehran municipality officials believe that the thieves are not professionals and do not steal the statues for their artistic value.

"They mostly smash the statues into smaller pieces or melt them for easy sale," Tehran Municipality's Statue Office Director Mojtaba Mousavi told Fars news agency on Tuesday.

"Such thieves are mostly looking for the bronze metal's value regardless of the role such statues play in representing the identity of the country," he added.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=124716§ionid=351020105.