Ex-IG's son steals 1.5 mn-year-old Olduvai Handaxe replica from National Museum

New Delhi: All that glitters is not gold! Sometimes, even a stone of historic importance is a priceless possession.

A 53-year-old man has been arrested from Gurugram for allegedly stealing a replica of the ancient 'Olduvai Handaxe' from the National Museum at Janpath which is one of the first greatest inventions of mankind going back to over 1.5 million years. Olduvai Handaxe's replica was given as a gift by the London museum to the National Museum, New Delhi, in 2014.

According to DCP (New Delhi) Madhur Verma, it was on June 24 that the museum authorities noticed that the object was missing. However, it was only after they completed their own inquiry — on July 13 — that they knocked on the doors of the police to register an FIR.

"We scanned CCTV footage and found a man leaving the premises with the stolen item. His identity was established as Udai Ratra," he said.

The police team then scanned the address and raided his house at Pataudi, Haryana, on the intervening night of July 13 and 14. Uday is the son of a retired Inspector General, Coast Guard. Several cases of theft have already been registered against him in Delhi.

When the police team entered the house, the accused remained inside the premises despite repeated requests and warnings by the cops. The police say that he appeared to be inebriated.

"The team decided to hide itself around the house and after a while it was noticed that one person quietly came out of the back door of the house and ran towards the backside lawn, with something in his hand. He was immediately apprehended by the team and found to be carrying the stolen stone," informed Verma.

The police said that there are eight to 10 big dogs inside the house, who he unleashed on the raiding police party. However, he was quickly moved from the spot and the danger was averted.