Hasan stole Nizam artefacts with museum staffer's help

HYDERABAD: Central Crime Station (CCS) sleuths have booked cases against money-laundering kingpin Hasan Ali and four others for stealing and selling off precious artefacts from the famous Salarjung Museum of the city. Interestingly, one of the accused was a senior employee of the museum. Police sources told TOI that Enforcement Directorate,Mumbai's assistant director Jayakrishna K Naidu met with CCS officials on May 1and lodged a complaint against Hasan Ali, Kashinath Tapuriah, his associate,Nasir Baig, manager of Salarjung Museum, Ram Bharoz Gupta, a jewellery shopowner from Basheerbagh, and Phillips Anandraj, for stealing antique jewelleryand other artifacts from Salarjung Museum. Based on the complaint, CCS sleuthsbooked a case under Sections, 406, 420, 379, 411, 120-B of the IPC and Section25 of the Antiquities and Art Treasures Act, 1972 against the accused.According to the complaint, while probing money-laundering chargesagainst Hasan Ali and Tapuriah booked under the Prevention of Money LaunderingAct (PMLA) and Foreign Exchange Management Act (Fema), ED sleuths stumbled onthe fact that the duo had stolen several artifacts belonging to the Nizam ofHyderabad and Salarjung Museum and sold the same in the open market. As per theFIR, Hasan Ali had close links with museum manager Nasir Baig and otherofficials with whose help he was able to steal the items from the museumpremises. During interrogation, Hasan Ali reportedly told the EDofficials that Nasir Baig held the power of attorney for the Nizam of Hyderabad.In his statement recorded before the ED officials on April 2, 2011, co-accusedPhillip Anandraj, an associate of Tapuriah, stated that Hasan Ali had access toa locker in Union Bank of Switzerland (UBS), Zurich, which contained severalrare jewels and Ali sought his help in securing another locker in the same bankto move some of the jewels into that. Hasan Ali told the ED sleuthsin his statement recorded on March 31 that he visited Salarjung Museum and knewNasir Baig, who had the power of attorney for Nizam's property. With the help ofNasir and members of the royal families who were willing to sell antiquejewellery, Hasan used to procure the valuable artifacts and sell the same tosome jewellers from the city including accused Ram Bharoz Gupta.Hasan admitted that he had earned Rs 40 to 50 lakhs by sellingantique jewellery. In a statement recorded before the ED sleuths onMarch 28, Kashinath Tapuriah said that in September 1995, Hasan Ali took him toSalarjung Museum and introduced him to Nasir Baig. Hassan told Tapuriah thatBaig and several other staff of the museum were his friends and through them, hecould arrange to get any antique item smuggled out from the museum. Hasan Alialso took Tapuriah to the residence of a 40-year-old lady from a royal familywhere he was shown several valuable artifacts. As corroboratoryevidence, ED officials have also recorded the statement of Mahbubunnisa Begum,the ex-wife of Hasan, on March 19. She stated that Nasir Baig, Hamid Raza, ArifNawab, Samina Khan, Hyder Ali Khan and Kamran were the associates of Hassan indealing with the antique jewellery and artefacts. Commissioner ofpolice A K Khan said that based on the EDs complaint, they have registered acase and launched a probe. In his statement, Hasan Ali alleged that he procuredantique items from the museum through one Nasir Baig and we are investigatinginto that, Khan said.