A 53-year-old man has been arrested from Gurugram on Saturday for allegedly stealing a replica of the ancient 'Olduvai Handaxe' from the National Museum in Janpath area of Delhi. The accused is the son of a retired Inspector General, Coast Guard, police said.
According to the police, the accused has been identified as Uday Ratra, who was arrested from his Gurugram residence at around 3 am while the stolen replica of the Olduvai Handaxe was also recovered.
"On June 24, museum authorities noticed that the replica of the Olduvai Handaxe was missing after which they approached the police. We scanned CCTV footage and found a man leaving the premises with the stolen item," said Madhur Verma, Deputy Commissioner of Police (New Delhi).
Police said that Ratra was identified with the help of the visitor's register. Following which teams were formed to acquire the residential address of the accused.
"The address of the accused was found to be that of Gurugram and a team was sent there. On interrogation, it was found that the accused was in Chandigarh. A trap was laid and he was caught when he returned around 3 am on Saturday," said Verma.
During interrogation, the accused revealed that he had not stolen it but just brought it home as he liked it. The replica of the artefact was recovered from the accused's house.
Police said that Ratra is the son of a retired Inspector General, Coast Guard, who served between 1985-2005. Ratra was a former resident of UK but was deported to India. Ratra has a history of stealing expensive things. He had been previously arrested by police on two occasions in 2016.
The Olduvai Handaxe's replica in the National Museum Institute of the History of Art, Conservation and Museology was a gift from the London museum. It was brought in India in the year 2014. The handaxe is one of the only artefacts which is known to be made for a long time with such a wide geographical range.
ABOUT THE RELIC
- The Olduvai Handaxe’s replica in the National Museum Institute of the History of Art, Conservation and Museology was a gift from the London museum. It was brought in India in the year 2014. The handaxe is one of the only artefacts which is known to be made for a long time with such a wide geographical range.
