Hooghly: The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of West Bengal Police has recovered the stolen Padma Shri award belonging to internationally acclaimed former Indian swimmer and Arjuna Award recipient Bula Chowdhury, within 48 hours of the theft.

Confirming the recovery, a senior official from the state police stated that one individual has been arrested in connection with the case. Based on information obtained during interrogation, investigators were able to locate the prestigious award.

However, the official declined to provide further details at this stage, noting that more information would be shared at a press conference to be addressed later in the day by the Superintendent of Police for Hooghly district.

Chowdhury, who also served as a CPI(M) legislator from 2006 to 2011, expressed her gratitude to the police for their swift response and the prompt recovery of her award.

Although she currently resides in Kasba, South Kolkata, all her awards, trophies, and medals from her swimming career were kept on display at her ancestral home in Hind-Motor, located in Hooghly district. The theft occurred there last Friday.

Initially, the investigation was handled by the Hooghly district police, but the case was later transferred to the CID.

Chowdhury regularly visited her ancestral home to ensure that her memorabilia were properly maintained and preserved. On Friday, it was discovered that her Padma Shri award shield was missing from its display. Further inspection revealed that several other awards, trophies, and medals had also been stolen.

Milan Chowdhury, the swimmer’s brother who resides at the Hind-Motor property, noted that this was not the first such incident. “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 Even for a brief period, a police picket was also put up there, only to be withdrawn after a certain period,” he said.

IANS