Stolen 150-year-old kalash from Ahmedabad’s Sarkhej Roza recovered, four held

The Ahmedabad Crime Branch police have recovered the 150-year-old sacred ‘Panjtan Pak Kalash’, stolen from the Sarkhej Roza mausoleum, a nationally protected monument in the Gujarat capital. The police have arrested four persons for the theft, while four others are absconding.

The theft, reported at the Sarkhej police station on July 1, involved the disappearance of a Panjtan Pak Kalash — a religious urn made of Panchdhatu (five metals) — from the dome of Sheikh Ahmad Khattu Ganj Bakhsh’s mausoleum, said Deputy Commissioner of Police Ajit Rajian.

It was installed on the dome of the mausoleum of Sheikh Ahmad Khattu Ganj Bakhsh — the spiritual mentor of Sultan Ahmad Shah, founder of Ahmedabad. The artefact is deeply revered in the Islamic faith and holds significant cultural and spiritual value for devotees, who tie threads of mannat (faith) to it. Sarkhej Roza was built around 1445 CE.

“Considering the religious and cultural sensitivity of the site, a special team of the Ahmedabad Crime Branch immediately initiated a thorough investigation and arrested four persons, while four more are at large,” Mr. Rajian said.

‘Panjtan Pak’ refers to the five holy members of Prophet Muhammad’s family.

“Architecturally, the site represents a 575-year-old Indo-Islamic masterpiece, protected by the Archaeological Survey of India since 1921. It is listed on the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List and played a pivotal role in Ahmedabad’s recognition as a World Heritage City in 2017,” Mr. Rajian said.

The police official said: “The probe included extensive CCTV footage review, aerial drone surveys of nearby lakes and remote areas, and the use of technical surveillance. We traced the accused to Kadi town in Mehsana district, where they were reportedly planning to sell the artefact.”

The four accused arrested were: Sureshbhai Dharmshibhai Dantani (40), a labourer from Chaprama, Kadi, Mehsana, originally from Peparana village in Harij taluka, Patan district; Gopalbhai Dharmshibhai Dantani (30), labourer, and younger brother of Sureshbhai, with the same residential details; Munnabhai Jayantibhai Dantani (23), labourer, also from Chaprama, with family roots in Chanasma, Patan; and Vishnubhai Chunabhai Dantani (22), labourer, resident of Rajvinagar, Jotana, Mehsana, originally from Shedhal, Chanasma, Patan.

While those absconding are: Dinesh Dharmshibhai Dantani, resident of Chaprama, Kadi, Mehsana, native of Peparana, Patan; Kishorbhai Somabhai Dantani, resident of Mahemdabad, Kheda district; Jaliben Somabhai Dantani, resident of Chaprama, Kadi, Mehsana, a native of Peparana, Harij, Patan, and Dasu Dantani, a resident of Pendarpur, Chanasma, Patan.