Delhi ‘kalash’ theft: One held from UP’s Hapur, urn recovered

Police here have apprehended a man from Hapur in Uttar Pradesh and recovered the gold ‘kalash’ that was stolen during a religious ceremony held near the Red Fort here, police said on Monday.

Made of 760 grams of gold and embedded with 150 grams of diamonds, rubies and emeralds, the ‘kalash’ worth around Rs 1 crore was stolen from a Jain religious event at the August 15 Park on September 3.

The case is being probed jointly by a team of north district and the Crime Branch. A team was dispatched to Hapur based on leads and the accused, Bhushan Verma, was intercepted and taken into custody, police said.

“The stolen kalash was also recovered at his instance,” a senior officer said, adding that the accused is being brought to Delhi for questioning.

Verma’s background, his accomplices and the motive behind the theft are being looked into, police said.

The complaint in the case was filed by Sudhir Jain, a businessman and a resident of Civil Lines.

The event from where the ‘kalash’ was stolen began on August 28 and will conclude on September 9. Jain told police that he brought the ‘kalash’ with him every day for the rituals.

According to police, the accused stole the vessel when people were busy welcoming Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla.

Police earlier said that the suspect had been frequenting the venue, doing a recce for days. He dressed in traditional clothes and mingled with the organisers to sit on the stage, where the ‘kalash’ was displayed.