Bangkok  - An ancient bead featuring the Hindu sun god Surya Dev was stolen while on display at Thailand's National Discovery Museum Institute, media reports said Saturday.

The stone bead, estimated to be 2,000 years old, was stolen Thursday from the Bangkok museum, where it had been on display since December 19.

Police said they suspected the thief removed a magnifying glass that was placed into the top of the glass case so visitors could better view the 2-centimetre-wide bead. With the glass gone, a hole was left through which to snatch the antiquity, believed to be one of 50 remaining Surya Dev beads worldwide, investigators said.

The bead came from the Klong Thom district in Krabi province in southern Thailand. Hinduism was the first world religion to take root in Thailand, which is now a predominately Buddhist country. (dpa)