The Archeology Department yesterday arrested a group of treasure hunters and an ancient statue they had unearthed at a walawwa at Yalagama, Avissawella.

Among those arrested are the owners the Walawwa.

The wife of the main suspect has told the investigators that her dead mother had appeared in a dream and told her that there was some treasure hidden beneath the house.

She and her husband had thereafter obtained the services of a monk practising sorcery to trace the ‘treasure’ and hired five others to do excavation work.

They had dug up one room and were excavating another, where they found the statue.