Bengal Police recover Bula Chowdury's Padma Shri award, medals; one arrested

The West Bengal Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has recovered the stolen Padma Shri award of internationally acclaimed former swimmer and Arjuna Awardee Bula Chowdhury within 48 hours of the theft, officials said.

Confirming the development, a senior West Bengal police official said that one person has been arrested in connection with the theft. Based on his interrogation, CID sleuths were able to trace and recover the prestigious award.

However, he refused to divulge further on this issue, and said that the details will be provided at a press conference later in the day to be addressed by the Hooghly district police superintendent.

Chowdhury, who was also a former CPI(M) legislator from 2006 to 2011, thanked the police for acting promptly and recovering her award so soon.

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Although Choudhury currently stays in Kasba in South Kolkata, all her awards, trophies, and medals, which she earned during her swimming career, were displayed at her ancestral residence at Hind-Motor in Hooghly district, where it was stolen last Friday.

Although initially the investigation was started by the Hooghly district police, later the charge of the investigation was handed over to the CID.

She used to come to her ancestral residence every week and inspect whether her awards, trophies, and medals were preserved and maintained properly. On Friday, it was noted that her Padma Shri award shield was missing from the place where it was displayed.

Later, it was discovered that some of her awards, trophies, and medals were also stolen.

Milan Chowdhury, the brother of the champion swimmer, who stays at that Hind-Motor residence, said that there were three robbery attempts at the residence earlier. “Each time, police complaints were registered, and a routine investigation was carried out. However, subsequent robbery attempts did not stop. Even for a brief period, a police picket was also put up there, only to be withdrawn after a certain period," he said.