Former swimmer Bula Chowdhary, a Padma Shree awardee, has alleged thieves stole most of her medals from her ancestral home in West Bengal’s Hooghly district on Friday.
Heartbroken over having lost “everything she had earned in her entire life”, Chowdhary, who currently lives with her family in Kolkata’s Kasba area, said it was the third time there had been a theft at her Hindmotor residence, which remains locked most of the time.
“Thieves have taken away everything I earned in my entire life through my hard work and dedication. All medals, including the six gold medals I won at the SAAF Games and the Padma Shri brooch, have been stolen,” Chowdhury said on Friday.
Also Read: Heavy rain lashes Mumbai, Thane; red alert issued
The only two awards remaining with her, she said, are the Arjuna Award and the Tenzing Norgay medals, which she believes the thieves might not have recognised.
"Probably they did not recognise the Arjuna Award and the Tenzing Norgay medals, as they were smaller in size," she said.
The former swimmer’s ancestral home is looked after by her brother, Milon Chowdhary, who lives some distance away and occasionally checks on it, she stated.
Police informed that the thieves seemed to have taken advantage of it being a holiday on Friday on account of Independence Day and ransacked Chowdhary’s house.
"On Independence Day, which was a holiday, Milon went to the house to clean it on his sister's instructions. On entering, he was shocked to find the rear gate broken and the rooms ransacked," a police officer said, adding that an investigation had been initiated into the accident.
Chowdhury, who rushed from Kolkata to Uttarpara upon receiving the news, said thefts had occurred earlier too but there had been a lack of proper investigation.
"Why are they taking medals? They won't get any money for them. They are treasures of my life, the fruits of my career. My house is targeted every time because it stays empty," she said.
Follow us
