Did CID Take Over the Investigation of Bula Chowdhury's Stolen Medal?

Synopsis
Key Takeaways
- Criminal Investigation Department (CID) is investigating the theft.
- The stolen items include the Padma Shri award and other accolades.
- Chowdhury questions local police's diligence in protecting her home.
- Previous robbery attempts have been reported at the same location.
- Investigation focuses on local suspects who monitored the residence.
Kolkata, Aug 16 (NationPress) The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the West Bengal Police has been assigned the responsibility of probing the theft of the Padma Shri award belonging to the internationally renowned (former) Indian swimmer and Arjuna Award recipient, Bula Chowdhury.
The cherished award, along with several other accolades, was unlawfully taken from Chowdhury's ancestral home in Hind-Motor, located in the Hooghly district, on Friday.
Initial investigations suggest that the theft may have been executed by local individuals who had been surveilling the residence, waiting for an opportune moment to strike.
Sources within the state police have indicated that a few suspects have already been called in for questioning.
Although Chowdhury, who previously served as a CPI-M legislator from 2006 to 2011, currently resides in Kasba, South Kolkata, her awards, trophies, and medals from her illustrious swimming career were prominently displayed at her ancestral home.
Chowdhury visited the residence weekly to ensure that her awards were preserved and well-maintained. On Friday, she discovered that her Padma Shri award shield was missing from its display location.
Further inspection revealed that additional awards, trophies, and medals had also been taken.
Chowdhury and her family expressed that the theft of such a prestigious award could have been avoided if local police had demonstrated greater diligence in safeguarding the house, especially given the number of awards stored there.
“I earned those medals through immense dedication and hardship. Now, most of them have been stolen. My question for Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is, why was the police unable to prevent this robbery?” Chowdhury remarked on Friday.
Milan Chowdhury, the champion swimmer's brother who resides at the Hind-Motor house, stated that there have been three previous robbery attempts at that location. “Each time, police reports were filed, and standard investigations were conducted. Yet, further robbery attempts continued unabated. A police presence was temporarily established, but it was eventually withdrawn,” he noted.