LAHORE, April 22: Police on Tuesday arrested a man and recovered from him a copy of the holy Quran that was among five rare manuscripts stolen from the Lahore museum two years ago when he brought it to the museum for getting its value assessed.

The police also arrested a doctor of the Jinnah Hospital from whom Naveed, who was in possession of the rare manuscript, claimed to have acquired the stolen document in what the museum authorities described as a windfall for them.

The manuscript recovered from the arrested person is said to be the most valuable among the five stolen from the museum.

Naveed, said to be a resident of the Township, came to the museum asking for appraisal of a copy of the holy Quran written on the skin of a deer during the period of Hazrat Imam Hussain (AS).

Officials said the museum authorities recognized the stolen manuscript from a reference number, which had been tampered with and detained the carrier.

The Old Anarkali police were informed. Naveed told them that the manuscript belonged to a Dr Darwesh, working in the Jinnah Hospital on a contract basis. Police later also arrested the doctor from near the Ganga Ram Hospital.

Police said Naveed was an educated person and he and Dr Darwesh appeared to be members of an international gang of smugglers.

Museum officials said the two arrested persons were being interrogated and a major breakthrough regarding the other four stolen manuscripts was also expected.

The five rare manuscripts were stolen from the Lahore Museum on June 28, 2001, following which its acting director Anjum Rehmani was removed and an inquiry initiated against him and some others.

The inquiry has now been completed. But a decision is pending because of the delay in the personal hearing of Dr Rehmani before Chief Secretary Hafeez Akhtar Randhawa.