A 50-YEAR-OLD bell has been stolen from the Government College for Girls, Sector 11. The 40-kg gunmetal bell came to the college in1968. Installed on the roof of the physics department, the bell had been in use before the college got an electric bell.
A case was registered at Sector 11 Police Station on Wednesday. Investigating officer Mewa Singh said more than one person must have been involved in the theft considering its weight. “I have been told that it was about 40 kilograms. It can’t be the handiwork of one person. There are guards sitting at every corner and obviously a vehicle is required to transport such a heavy bell,” Mewa Singh told Chandigarh Newsline.
The college also has high walls and fencing over the walls. While the college authorities said the bell had “heritage” value, the local police investigating the case were not impressed at all. “Who says it is heritage? The college authorities have supplied the bill that says it was purchased only for Rs 813,” said Inspector Lakhbir Singh, Station House Officer of Sector 11 police station.
Curiously, for something that the college clearly valued, it was not able to provide a photograph of the bell to the police. But, it provided the bill, with the date of purchase in 1968 and the shop from where it was bought in Ambala.