Has the CID Taken Charge of Bula Chowdhury's Stolen Medal Case?

Synopsis
Key Takeaways
- The CID is now leading the investigation into the theft.
- Bula Chowdhury's prestigious Padma Shri award was among the stolen items.
- Local police are under scrutiny for their inability to prevent the theft.
- The incident raises concerns about home security for notable figures.
- Chowdhury's family had reported previous robbery attempts.
Kolkata, Aug 16 (NationPress) The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the West Bengal Police has been assigned to investigate the theft of the Padma Shri award belonging to the renowned former Indian swimmer and Arjuna Award recipient, Bula Chowdhury.
The theft involved her prestigious award along with several other accolades, trophies, and medals, occurring on Friday at Chowdhury’s ancestral home in Hind-Motor, located in the Hooghly district.
Initial investigations suggest that the theft may have been executed by local individuals who had been closely monitoring the property and identified the opportune moment for the robbery.
Insiders from the state police have indicated that a couple of individuals have already been summoned for questioning regarding this incident.
Despite residing in Kasba, South Kolkata, Chowdhury, a former CPI-M legislator from 2006 to 2011, keeps her awards, trophies, and medals displayed at her family residence in Hind-Motor.
She routinely visits her ancestral home to ensure that her accolades are properly maintained. On Friday, it was discovered that her Padma Shri award shield was missing from its display location.
Additionally, it became evident that numerous other trophies, medals, and awards had also been stolen.
Chowdhury and her family assert that the theft of her prestigious awards could have been avoided had the local police demonstrated greater diligence in safeguarding the property, given the collection of awards stored there.
“I earned those medals through immense effort and determination. Now, most of them have been taken. My question for Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is, why couldn’t the police prevent this robbery?” Chowdhury expressed on Friday.
Milan Chowdhury, the swimmer's brother residing at the Hind-Motor location, noted that there have been three previous robbery attempts at the residence. “Each time, we registered police complaints, and standard investigations were conducted. Yet, subsequent robbery attempts continued. A police presence was temporarily established but was eventually removed,” he stated.