An inquiry has been launched to determine how an ancient Hellenistic-era statue came to be found next to a garbage bin, the police announced on Wednesday. The statue was found by a man in Thessaloniki last Saturday night, inside a black bag next to a bin. The 32-year-old then handed the statue over to the police.
An archaeologist was called in to examine the statue and determined that it falls under the relevant legislation on protecting antiquities. Consequently, the statue was confiscated by police officers of the Office for the Protection of Cultural Heritage, who are investigating the case. 
At the same time, the Northern Greece Sub-Directorate for Tackling Organised Crime is conducting an inquiry, while the ancient statue will be sent to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations of Northern Greece for a forensic examination and then forwarded to the competent Ephorate of Antiquities for storage and evaluation.