Mystery of missing Raza painting continues, Mumbai Police make no headway

The S H Raza painting that has gone missing from the warehouse of an auction house in Mumbai

The MRA Marg police now suspect that the famous painting by S H Raza that was reported to have been stolen from an auction house might have been misplaced. After the registration of the FIR, the police team dedicated to solving the mystery of the missing painting are struggling to make headway owing to lack of leads in the case. The police have recorded the statements of nine individuals so far and have found nothing suspicious.

The matter came to light when Siddhant Shetty, the manager of AstaGuru Pvt Ltd, an auction house based in south Mumbai, approached the police to register an FIR after the painting had gone missing from the auction house. The painting titled Prakriti by Padma Vibhushan is said to be worth R2.5 crore and was last seen in Astaguru's warehouse in 2022.

"We have recorded the statements of nine individuals. Some of them are former employees of the auction house and some of them are current employees of the auction house. We have found nothing substantial so far. We are investigating the matter," said a police officer from the MRA police station while speaking with mid-day.

The police have also confirmed that no former or current employee of the Astaguru had been absconding since the painting had been allegedly stolen. "The auction house had thoroughly checked the premises and had not found the painting. We also checked the backgrounds of the current and former employees and found out that none of the individuals associated with the auction house have been absconding since the crime took place. The painting was last spotted in 2022," said the police.

According to the police, the painting has an insurance cover. "The painting had been covered under insurance. The auction house might have the valuation of the missing painting and the owner of the painting can claim the amount of insurance based on the FIR," the police said.

"Raza is a renowned painter and his work Prakriti is owned by one Indraveer. It was last seen in the warehouse in 2022. When Indraveer asked for the painting to be auctioned, the management realised that it had gone missing and they approached us. We are looking into the matter," said a police officer.

The MRA Marg police registered the FIR under Section 380 (theft) of the Indian Penal Code as the painting is believed to have gone missing in 2022. When mid-day contacted Shetty he declined to comment on the matter.

Rs 2.5cr
Estimated value of the painting