A 46-year-old Ashoka University professor has been booked for allegedly stealing a replica of a dancing girl from the National Museum in Janpath Road, the Delhi Police said on Wednesday.
On Saturday, at around 2:40 pm, a head constable of CISF alerted the museum staff that the replica had gone missing, after which Nikhil Kumar, who was on gallery duty, went to the spot immediately.
After scanning the CCTV of the vicinity, the main suspect, the teacher associated with Ashoka University in Haryana’s Sonipat, was identified. The artefact was confiscated from his possession, and he was detained.
He was granted bail later, however, bound over, requiring him to appear before the investigating officer whenever he is asked to join the inquiry.
A case has been registered under sections 305(e) (theft in a dwelling, means of transport, or place of worship) and 317(2) (handling stolen property) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
Speaking on this case, a senior officer said that the accused claimed that he had bought some artefacts from the museum, and along with those, he mistakenly kept the replica in his bag as well.
Ashok University stated that it has been informed about the incident and will conduct an inquiry.