With no major breakthrough in the theft of rare antique bell from the Indian Institute of Advanced Studies, Shimla the CBI has now announced a cash reward of Rs.1 lakh.
In a written communique to the IIAS the CBI, Head office New Delhi on March 28 has requested the director of the institute for publication in newspapers about the grant of cash reward of Rs.1 lakh.
The CBI stated that they had registered a case on October 29, 2015 for commission of offence under Section 380 IPC and 25 ATT Act, 1972 against unknown others.
“The investigation of the case is under process and continuous efforts are being put to apprehend the real culprits involved in the case. As part of the investigation process the CBI has declared Rs.1 lakh cash reward to the informers who may provide credible information to the recovery of the stolen antique bell,” the communique said.
The CBI has asked the IIAS officials to arrange publication and distribution of pamphlets announcing the reward in local newspapers in English and Hindi at Shimla, Chandigarh and Dharamsala.
IIAS officiating Secretary Prem Chand confirmed of having received a letter from the CBI for publication of reward money said, “We will soon be doing the needful as requested by CBI for publication of the reward money in the various newspapers.”
The CBI has been putting in efforts to investigate the bell theft and had also visited IIAS for investigation purpose and interrogated few people last year, he added.
The rare bell said to be made of ashtadhatu (eight metals) had been stolen from the premises of IIAS on April 22, 2010.
bell weighing about 100 kgs, fixed to a wooden frame was installed at the entrance verandha of the IIAS building.
As per the records of the IIAS the bell was gifted by the royal family of Nepal to the then Viceroy Lord Curzon in 1903 and is said to have been used as a dinner gong.
After the state police failed to recover the bell and nab the culprits, the IIAS approached the Himachal Pradesh High Court and in response to the writ petition the court ordered the handing over the investigation of the case to CBI.
The court had asked the CBI to launch a nation-wide hunt to locate the stolen bell as well as the culprits.