Gurgaon Millionaire Steals Precious Replica From Museum, Caught On Camera

In the CCTV footage, 53-year-old Uday Ratra, the millionaire, can be seen leaving the museum with the replica.

Gurgaon | Edited by (with inputs from PTI) | Updated: July 15, 2018 02:01 IST
Gurgaon Millionaire Steals Precious Replica From Museum, Caught On Camera

When apprehended by police, Uday Ratra tried to escape from the backdoor with the replica

New Delhi: 

When an extremely precious replica of the ancient Olduvai Handaxe went missing from the National Museum in New Delhi, little did authorities imagine it would be found at the residence of a millionaire in neighbouring Gurgaon.

The replica had been stolen on June 24. Unable to locate it themselves, museum authorities approached the police on Friday, who started sifting through CCTV footage at the museum.

In the footage, 53-year-old Uday Ratra, the millionaire, can be seen leaving the museum with the replica, police said.

Uday Ratra was arrested from his home late Friday night, but not without drama. IPS officer Madhur Verma tweeted the CCTV footage:

The police in a statement say when they approached Uday Ratra's house, he refused to let them in and asked them to return in the morning. About eight or ten dogs present in the house kept barking at the police team on the instance of the accused.

The cops hid around the house, and soon Uday Ratra tried to quietly escape from the backdoor with the replica of the Olduvai Handaxe, said to be the first great invention of mankind about 1.5 million years ago.

He was immediately apprehended by the police, but refused to go down without a fight. He tried to instruct his dogs to attack the police team, but was taken away swiftly by the cops, said a press statement issued by Deputy Commissioner Madhur Verma.

This is not Uday Ratra's first encounter with trouble. In 2006, he was deported to India from the UK, where he spent close to 20 years.