While a special investigation team (SIT) probes the suspected theft of British-era gold coins by four policemen in Madhya Pradesh's Alirajpur district, an official said on Wednesday that a complaint accusing the officers of stealing silver had emerged, news agency PTI reported. The complainants claim that the authorities at Nanpur police station in the tribal-dominated district not only handed over less silver than was taken, but also of lower quality.
The accusation comes amid a SIT investigation into four Sondwa police officers for allegedly taking 240 British-era gold coins from a tribal family who discovered the antique goods while digging at a spot in Gujarat and stored them at their home in Alirajpur district.
Tainsingh and Kailas Tomar, in the most recent incidence, approached Nanpur police on January 21, last year, complaining about the theft of silver from their residences. According to a police source, the white metal was discovered on April 24, 2022, when a gang of four was apprehended.
According to the source, the complainants subsequently attended the police station through their lawyer and then filed a court order to recover their possessions.
On July 18, this year, the Nanpur police gave back 2 kg of silver to Tainsingh and 1.5 kilogramme to Tomar, but the two were not pleased.
Speaking with reporters, the complainant stated: “We got suspicious after seeing the silver as it looked new and did not resemble the one that was stolen. We took the silver to a jeweller to check its authenticity and were shocked to know that it was impure."
The two went to the superintendent of police's (SP) office and requested that they be given their original silver.
According to an official, SP Hansraj Singh instructed Jobat sub-divisional officer of police Neeraj Namdeo to investigate the complaint.
Namdeo informed PTI: “We have recorded initial statements and will soon complete the probe. Whoever is found guilty in the matter, action will be taken against them.”