DHAKA, Bangladesh—The theft of two rare 1,500-year-old statues of the Hindu god Vishnu that were headed to Paris for an exhibition has resulted in eight arrests, the resignation of a Bangladeshi cultural affairs adviser, and the cancellation of the exhibition, reports the Associated Press. The works were stolen on Sunday from a high-security area at Dhaka's international airport, and, according to local television reports, may have been destroyed. The eight suspects were arrested after Bangladeshi authorities carried out raids to recover the works, which were insured for a total of $65,000 and were bound for the Guimet Museum in Paris, where they were to be among 143 artifacts shown starting early next year. The Bangladeshi government has canceled the exhibition in light of the theft and has requested the museum return 42 objects shipped there on December 1. The government has asked Interpol to help trace the stolen works and has tightened border controls to prevent them from being smuggled out. "These are masterpieces and very valuable to our cultural heritage," said Shamsuzzaman Khan, a former head of the Bangladesh National Museum. "The government should not have agreed to send them abroad."