2024-09-11 13:30:27
Mumbai: A painting worth Rs 2.5 crore by famous painter Syed Haider Raza has been stolen. According to MRA Marg police, Raza made the painting titled ‘Nature’ in 1992. The painting was kept in the warehouse of Guru Auction House at Ballard Pier in Mumbai. When the warehouse was opened after about two years, the theft was discovered. Police have registered a case of theft. Police said that Mumbai resident Indraveer, who is the owner of the painting, gave it for sale to Astguru Auction House Private Limited in Kala Ghoda in February 2020. The auction house stored it in a warehouse at Ballard Pier.
Painting last seen in March 2022
The painting was last seen at the warehouse on March 24, 2022. Two years later, in 2024, the owner asked the auction house to put the painting up for auction again. This is when the auction house realised it was missing. “They searched the warehouse but couldn’t find it,” a police officer said.
Police filed FIR
Siddhant Shetty (37), chief administrative officer of Astaguru Auction House, approached the MRA Marg police station and lodged an FIR. Police have registered a case under Section 380 (theft in house, etc) of the IPC against an unidentified accused.
The painting was made in 1992
A police source said the painting was titled ‘Prakriti’ and was created by Raza in 1992. Raised in a village in Mandla, Madhya Pradesh, Raza, the son of a forest-ranger, was often inspired by the lush forests and the Narmada river around him.
Who is Syed Haider Raza?
Known for his distinctive ‘bindu’, Syed Haider Raza, born in 1922, is one of the most sought-after artists among collectors. He introduced Indian modernism in Bombay in the 1940s and then moved to high-society Paris.