India arrests over bid to sell 410-year-old Koran

The 604-page Koran is written in black italics on golden paper

Indian police have arrested 10 people who tried to illegally sell a 17C edition of the holy Koran.

The 604-page Koran is written in black italics on golden paper and has gems embedded on the cover.

Experts estimate it to be around 410 years old, written soon after the death of Mughal emperor Akbar who ruled from 1556 to 1605.

Police said the 10-member gang had been asking for 50m rupees ($770,000; £500,000) for the book.

"The calligraphy is exquisite. I have seen many old Korans in India, but nothing like this one," prominent historian Professor Sheikh Ali told BBC Hindi.

"What is remarkable about the calligraphy is that the font is crystal clear on a page that is just six inches by four inches," he said, adding that such clarity had only been seen in old editions in Turkish museums.

The last page of the book mentions that it was written around 1050 as per the Islamic calendar.

"We think it landed in the hands of the accused through a chain. Our information is that it came to this gang from Hyderabad. We are investigating," superintendent of police in the southern city of Mysore Abhinav Khare told BBC Hindi.