Mumbai, 11th Sept. A valuable painting by renowned artist Sayed Haider Raza, estimated to be worth over Rs 2.5 crore, has reportedly been stolen from a warehouse in south Mumbai, according to police sources. The painting, titled Prakriti (Nature) and created by Raza in 1992, was taken from the AstaGuru Auction House Private Limited’s facility at Ballard Pier.
An official from MRA Marg police station confirmed that an FIR was filed on Monday against unidentified persons. The artwork had been stored at the warehouse during the coronavirus pandemic, as Raza’s acrylic piece was kept in safekeeping. It was last seen in March 2022.
Siddhant Shetty, Chief Administrative Officer of the auction house, reported the painting’s disappearance after a routine search of nearly 1,500 artworks in the warehouse revealed it was missing. The painting had been entrusted to the auction house by its owner, Indra Veer, for auction in 2020.
“We have formed a team to recover the painting and are currently trying to identify the culprit through CCTV footage,” said the police official. The case has been registered under Section 380 of the Indian Penal Code, which deals with theft.
Sayed Haider Raza, who spent much of his career in France, passed away in 2016 at the age of 94. The ongoing investigation aims to locate the stolen artwork and bring those responsible to justice.
