SJM ‘mole’ helped Hasan steal jewels – ToI -- 4.5.11

CCS Sleuths Book Cases Against Hawala Kingpin For Stealing Nizam Artefacts

M Sagar Kumar & Mahesh Buddi | TNN

Hyderabad: Central Crime Station (CCS) sleuths have booked cases against moneylaundering kingpin Hasan Ali and four others for stealing and selling off precious artefacts from the famous Salar Jung Museum. 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 1 and lodged a complaint against Hasan Ali, Kashinath Tapuriah, his associate, Nasir Baig, manager of Salar Jung Museum, Ram Bharoz Gupta, a jewellery shop owner from Basheerbagh, and Phillips Anandraj, for stealing antique jewellery and other artefacts from Salar Jung Museum. Based on the complaint, CCS sleuths booked cases under Sections 406, 420, 379, 411, 120-B of the IPC and Section 25 of the Antiquities and Art Treasures Act, 1972 against the accused.
    According to the complaint, while probing moneylaundering charges against Hasan Ali and Tapuriah booked under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and Foreign Exchange Management Act (Fema), ED sleuths stumbled on the fact that the duo had stolen several artefacts belonging to the Nizam of Hyderabad and Salar Jung Museum and sold the same in the open market. As per the FIR, Hasan Ali had close links with museum manager Nasir Baig and other officials with whose help he was able to steal the items from the museum premises.
    During interrogation, Hasan Ali reportedly told the ED officials 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-accused Phillip Anandraj, an associate of Tapuriah, stated that Hasan had access to a locker in Union Bank of Switzerland (UBS), Zurich, which contained several rare jewels and Ali sought his help in securing another locker in the same bank to move some of the jewels into that.
    Hasan Ali told the ED sleuths in his statement recorded on March 31 that he visited Salar Jung Museum and knew Nasir Baig, who had the power of attorney for Nizam’s property. With the help of Nasir and members of the royal families who were willing to sell antique jewellery, Hasan used to procure the valuable artefacts and sell the same to some jewellers from the city, including accused Ram Bharoz Gupta.
    Hasan admitted that he had earned Rs 40 to 50 lakh by selling antique jewellery.
    In a statement recorded before the ED sleuths on March 28, Kashinath Tapuriah said that in September 1995, Hasan Ali took him to Salar Jung Museum and introduced him to Nasir Baig. Hasan told Tapuriah that Baig and several other staff of the museum were his friends and through them, he could arrange to get any antique item smuggled out from the museum. Hasan also took Tapuriah to the residence of a 40-year-old lady from a royal family where he was shown valuable artefacts.
    As corroboratory evidence, 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, Arif Nawab, Samina Khan, Hyder Ali Khan and Kamran were the associates of Hasan in dealing with the antique jewellery and artefacts.
    Commissioner of police A K Khan said that based on the ED’s complaint, they have registered a case and launched a probe. “In his statement, Hasan Ali said that he procured antique items from the museum through one Nasir Baig and we are investigating into that,” Khan said.