India / MGNREGA workers find pitcher full of silver, bronze coins from 1862 in UP

MGNREGA workers in Uttar Pradesh's Unnao district discovered a pitcher containing 17 silver and 287 bronze coins while digging the foundation for a building on Wednesday. The coins have the year 1862 imprinted on them. Police recovered some coins from the workers and SDM Rajendra Prasad said there could be more coins with the workers which would be recovered soon.

Latestly : Sep 03, 2020, 04:27 PM
Unnao: A jug containing 19th century silver and bronze coins has been found in Uttar Pradesh's Unnao district on Wednesday. The pitcher fill of silver and bronze coins was discovered by labourers who were digging the foundation for a new panchayat building at Kanhau village. The labourers were employed under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).

According to Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM), Safipur, Rajendra Prasad, 17 silver and 287 bronze coins were found in the jug. The coins, dating back to 1862, going by the year imprinted on them, have been deposited in the Safipur treasury. According to a report of Hindustan Times, the discovery of the pitcher full of silver and bronze coins trigerred a fight among workers. The workers allegedly took away some coins.

While the workers were fighting, someone informed the Asivan police about the discovery. Cops then raided workers who fled with coins and recovered the valuables from their possession. "We still feel there could be more (coins) with the workers, they will be recovered shortly," SDM Prasad added.

The discovery of silver and bronze coins comes seven years after Unnao’s Daundia Kheda, which is close to Kanhau village, saw an extensive treasure hunt in October 2013. The treasure hunt was launched after a seer, Shobhan Sarkar, said that he had dreamt that 1,000 tonnes of gold lay buried under the fort of a 19th-century king. However, the authorities found nothing.