[MSN] Antique smugglers struck gold on Sunday night when they stole away a rare manuscript written in golden letters by Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb.

[Museum Security Network Mailinglist]

Rare manuscript stolen from Gaya

Alok Kumar

Gaya, December 12, 2006
 
  
Antique smugglers struck gold on Sunday night when they stole away a rare
manuscript written in golden letters by Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb.

The value of the stolen manuscript is said to be around Rs one crore. The
manuscript was kept in a steel almirah in the principal's
chamber-cum-library of Tekari Raj Inter School under Tekari sub-division of
the district.

The thieves scaled the wall on the rear side of the school building, broke
the locks and took away the manuscript "Gulistan" written in Persian. 

The school with more than two dozen classrooms has a 12-feet high boundary
wall around its campus. However, there was no security arrangement at the
school.

The smugglers also reportedly took away a handbag kept in the almirah
containing Rs 1000. It is said that the then Maharaja of Alwar had sold the
bhojpatra manuscript to his Tekari counterpart for Rs 10,000 about 200 years
ago. It was kept at the school established by the then queen of Tekari, Rani
Rajroop Kunwar, in 1876 for the education of her son Gopal Sharan, who later
became the king of Tekari.

However, according to another version, the manuscript was presented as a
gift to the Tekari estate during the visit of Emperor Aurangzeb. Later, Rani
Kunwar donated the manuscript to the school and since then it has been
there.

Meanwhile, the police have started investigation into the theft and
interrogated the principal in-charge Brijnandan Singh.

A case would also be lodged in this connection. Police have recovered a
screwdriver from the spot. Mystery shrouds the theft as the lock of only one
almirah out of eight kept in the chamber has been found broken.

Recently, during the Krishi Mela organised on the school campus, Magadh
division commissioner Shakti Kumar Negi came to know about the manuscript.
He had cautioned the principal in-charge about its security.

It is noteworthy that antique smugglers have spread their tentacles in Gaya
district too, which is evident from the fact that the CBI sleuths had camped
at Gaya for sometime in connection with the investigation into the recent
theft of idols from the Patna Museum. At least three persons, including one
from village Rupaspur under Tekari police station were nabbed from Gaya and
three idols, including two of Lord Ganesha and one of Lord Vishnu, were
recovered during raids at different places in the district.
 

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