Shivpuri: False story of guards exposed in case of theft of 400 year old cannon of Narwar Fort

Shivpuri. As the investigation is progressing in the case of theft of a rare 16th century cannon weighing about 3,500 kg from the historical Narwar Fort in Shivpuri district in Madhya Pradesh, many shocking revelations are coming to light.

The joint investigation team of the State Archeology Department and the police has found important evidence from the spot, which points towards an organized international antique smuggling gang behind this incident.

The biggest revelation is that on the night of the incident, both the guards deployed for the security of the fort had left their duty and gone to their respective homes and the story told about the robbery by armed miscreants turned out to be completely false.

Important clues found from the scene
The joint investigation team has found mattresses, quilts, iron pipes, marks of dragging a cannon from the fort and tire marks of vehicles on the inaccessible road behind the fort.

It is clear from this evidence that the incident was carried out in a very well-planned manner. The police are now conducting a forensic investigation of all the physical evidence found at the scene and are trying to identify the vehicle used in the theft.

Guards admitted negligence, robbery story turned out to be false
Security guard Balkishan Valmiki admitted during investigation that there was no arrangement for night stay at the fort. There were no torches or other safety resources available, so he went home at night.

The other guard Sharanlal Jatav also admitted that he was not present on duty at the time of the incident. He also admitted that the story of robbery by armed criminals which he told the police was false.

There was an attempt to steal earlier also
Investigation has also revealed that on the night of 4-5 July, the miscreants had taken down this cannon from its place, but could not succeed in taking it away due to its excessive weight.

The security guards had informed about this in Narwar police station, but the matter was not taken seriously. After this, the smugglers returned with full preparation on the night of 15-16 July, lowered the cannon about three thousand feet with the help of an iron trolley fitted with bearings, loaded it into the vehicle and fled away.

Six guards deployed, yet theft took place
A total of six guards are deployed for the security of Narwar Fort, out of which four are on duty during the day and two at night. But on the night of the incident, both the night guards were absent, which gave the thieves the opportunity to carry out the crime for several hours without any hindrance.

What did the archeology department and police say?
Deputy Director of State Archeology Department, Tarun Kumar Mahobia said that enough evidence has been found that the historical cannon was stolen. Joint investigation with the police is underway and security arrangements will also be reviewed.

Narwar police station in-charge Vinay Yadav said that the investigation has revealed serious negligence on the part of the security guards. A case has been registered against unknown accused and they are being searched. On the basis of evidence found from the spot, efforts are being made to reach the accused and the vehicle involved in the theft.

Now only 13 historical cannons remain in the fort
14 rare historical cannons of the Scindia dynasty period were kept in the open court of Narwar Fort. After this theft, now only 13 cannons are left there. The stolen cannon is said to be about 5 feet 10 inches long and 30 inches wide.

It was made of mixed metals like brass, copper, bronze and ashtadhatu, with inscriptions in Persian and Devanagari script. According to experts, the price of this rare cannon can be between two to five crore rupees in the international illegal antique market.