300-kg heritage cannon stolen from Punjab police mess, probe on

Police said that it is not possible to steal the 300-kg heritage cannon from such a high security zone without connivance of insiders.

Chandigarh:A heritage cannon weighing around 300 kg was stolen under the cop's nose and the theft was detected nearly two weeks later. Involvement of insiders is being suspected, police said.

The three-feet-long cannon, made of pure brass was kept at the officers' mess of Punjab Police. It got stolen on the night of May 5. The matter came to light when mess in-charge Devinder Kumar informed his senior officials about the cannon going missing. On May 17, an FIR was registered on the complaint of Balwinder Singh, commandant of the 82nd battalion of the Punjab Armed Police.

The heritage cannon was among the important heritage items possessed by the Punjab Armed Police. It was shifted to the store room of 82nd Battalion around one and a half years ago. Later, it was again displayed before the public. People came from across the state to take a glimpse of this cannon.

Chandigarh Police said that since the cannon is very heavy, it cannot be stolen by any one person. "It is likely that four to five persons were involved in the theft. There are no CCTV cameras at the location where the cannon was placed. In such a situation, it has become extremely difficult for police to find the culprits," police said.

It is surprising that the thieves crossed two checkpoints on their way to reach the cannon and carried the heavy item without being noticed by anyone. An investigating officer said: "It is not possible to take away anything from such a high security zone without the connivance of the insiders. It is being believed that the value of the heritage cannon can be in lakhs or crores."