Two arrested for theft in Darbargadh palace

A security guard and his brother have been arrested for their alleged involvement in a theft at Darbargadh, the palace of Jamnagar Maharajah Shatrusalya Sinh, and some silver utensils and antique items have been recovered from their possession, police said today.

Valuables like silver utensils and antique items worth Rs 12.57 lakh were reportedly stolen from Darbargadh over a period of few months regarding which the manager of the palace had lodged a complaint with city police yesterday, they said.

Police said the security guard stationed at Darbargadh and his brother have been arrested for their involvement in the theft.

But they did not divulge details of the value of the recovered items.
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Aniruddsinh Jadeja, who was the guard at the palace, and his brother Sukhdevsinh Jadeja have confessed to police of their involvement in the theft, they said.

Sukhdevsinh told police that he had sold off 20 kg silver to Kishore Suthar of Jamnagar and 5 kg silver to a goldsmith in Porbandar.

A police official said that the duo will be produced before a local court here today and they will seek police remand for further interrogation into the incident.

Built in 1540, Darbargadh is a significant historical complex in Jamnagar and was the old royal residence.

Three years ago, a similar theft was reported from another ancestral palace of the erstwhile rulers of Jamnagar in which antique artifacts worth over Rs four crore were reported to be stolen.