Late Pope John Paul-II's blood stained relic disposed off by thieves

The Italian Police have reportedly detained three thieves for stealing Polish pope John Paul II's blood stained relic and discarding it away.

The police said that the thieves were unaware of the relic's value and could not recall the place where they threw it.

Police retrieved the metal frame that held the relic but were unable to locate the cloth that is believed to be a part of the late Pope's robe worn by him on the day he was shot in an assassination attempt in St Peter's Square in 1981, News 24 reported.

Meanwhile, police also recovered the cross, which was stolen from the San Pietro della Ienca church, along with the relic in the mountainous Abruzzo region in central Italy, often visited by the Pontiff during his skiing holidays.

The arrested persons are drug addicts, aged 23 and 24 years old, with a history of petty crimes.