Bengal CID begins probe into theft at swimmer and Padma Shri Bula Chowdhury’s ancestral home

Kolkata, Aug 16 (PTI) The West Bengal CID on Saturday launched a probe into the theft at the ancestral residence of former swimmer and Padma Shri awardee Bula Chowdhury, a senior official said.

A CID team visited Chowdhury’s ancestral home in Hind Motor, Hooghly district, where they collected CCTV footage and fingerprint samples from various objects at the scene.

"They collected CCTV camera footage, fingerprints from various objects at the residence of the swimmer," the officer said.

Initial findings suggest the involvement of local miscreants familiar with the house being unoccupied for long periods, the officer added.

On Friday, Chowdhury said medals and mementoes, including her Padma Shri brooch and six gold medals from the South Asian Federation (SAF) Games, were stolen.

While some prestigious honours like the Arjuna Award and Tenzing Norgay Adventure Award were left behind, she said, "I have lost everything I earned through hard work and dedication." "I am happy that the state government has taken the initiative of finding my medals," Chowdhury, who wrote to Chief Secretary Manoj Pant requesting a quick probe into the theft, told PTI.

Chowdhury alleged that it was the third theft at her Hind Motor residence, which remains under lock and key, and she visits the property periodically.

Currently living in Kolkata's Kasba area with her family, Chowdhury's ancestral home is looked after by her brother, Milon Chowdhury, who lives some distance away and occasionally visits to check it. PTI SCH MNB