Bhubaneswar, April 28 (IANS) At least two people were arrested in Orissa's Rourkela district Wednesday when they were trying to sell a stolen 192-year-old telescope for Rs.1.5 crore, police said.

Muhammad Afraj and Amit Kumar Kishori were arrested for stealing the telescope and trying to strike a deal with a local trader in the steel city of Rourkela, 514 km from here.

Afraj is a resident of nearby Biramitrapur town while Amit Kumar Kishori is of North 24-Parganas district in West Bengal.

The telescope made in 1818 was stolen from the Indian Museum in Kolkata a year ago. 'It was an antique British telescope and was used in ships,' Superintendent of Police Diptesh Patnaik told IANS.

'They were presented before a local court today (Wednesday). The telescope would soon be handed over to the state museum at Bhubaneswar,' he said.