Hooghly: Former swimmer and Padma Shri awardee Bula Chowdhury has alleged that medals and mementos earned during her sporting career were stolen from her ancestral home in West Bengal’s Hooghly district.

Chowdhury said she lost “everything she earned in her life” after thieves broke into her locked Hindmotor residence, ransacked the rooms, and decamped with her prized possessions.

“Thieves have taken away all the medals, including the six golds I won at the SAAF Games and even the Padma Shri brooch. They also took away every memento of my career,” Chowdhury told PTI on Friday.

The former swimming star, however, said the Arjuna Award and the Tenzing Norgay medals were left behind. “Probably they did not recognise them, as they were smaller in size,” she said.

This is the third theft reported from the property, which remains locked most of the time and is occasionally checked by her brother, Milon Chowdhury. On Independence Day, he discovered the rear gate broken and the rooms ransacked, police said.

Now based in Kolkata’s Kasba area, Chowdhury alleged that despite earlier complaints, police investigations had not been satisfactory. “Why are they taking medals? They won’t fetch money. These are treasures of my life, the fruits of my career. My house is targeted because it stays vacant,” she said.

A senior police officer confirmed that an investigation has been initiated into the latest incident.