Stolen Mughal era Quran with gold calligraphy recovered by Rajasthan police

Rajasthan Police has recovered an antique Quran written in gold calligraphy that was stolen from Bhilwara last year.

Police on Thursday arrested one of the accused Banwari Lal Meena and recovered the Quran from him. Deputy commissioner of police Jaipur North Rajiv Pachar said that the investigating team came to know that the Quran was historic, invaluable and with a person from Bhilwara. Pachar confirmed, "Around five to six criminals from Jaipur went to Bhilwara on the pretext of making a deal for purchase of the Quran and later fled with the holy book after roughing up the person and without paying him".

Officials said one Yogendra Singh Mehta from Bhilwara filed a report stating emperor Akbar had gifted the historic Mandalgarh fort to his ancestors and that several historic antiques are still with him of which the Quran was one.

Mehta told the police that he had made a deal with a group of people from Jaipur through acquaintances. He said that accused absconded after taking the Quran from him.

The officials said that one of the accused in the case was also wanted in another case of cheating and criminal conspiracy among other charges in Chandwaji police station area. The DCP Pachar told DH, "Meena was apprehended when the police got the information that he was going to sell the Quran. During interrogation Meena has revealed that he and his associates had fixed a deal with a person from Bangladesh for selling the Quran for 16 crores. But before the deal the police had arrested one of the accused which led to the others absconding. One of the associates of Meena - Khemchand was earlier arrested by Manak Chowk police station and from him counterfeit notes worth Rs 4.7 crores was recovered.

The Quran's copy with over 1,000 pages was recovered from Meena belongs to the descendants of a prominent family in Mandalgarh, DCP confirmed.