Burglars have broken into the ancestral home of Padma Shri award-winning former swimmer Bula Chowdhury in Hindmotor’s Debaipukur Road, West Bengal, police said on Friday.
The house, which Chowdhury and her family no longer occupy, is mostly vacant and is looked after by her brother, Milan Chowdhury. Milan told local media he discovered a broken rear gate when he visited the property to clean ahead of upcoming festivities.
Medals, mementos, bathroom fixtures, and religious items were reported stolen. Chowdhury’s Padma Shri award was not taken, as she keeps it in her Kolkata apartment.
“It is painful that medals are being stolen. They have no market value, but they are my life’s achievements,” Chowdhury told the Press.
Police from Uttarpara station, led by Inspector-in-Charge Amitava Sanyal, visited the scene. Chowdhury said the same house was burgled about five to six years ago, but no significant recovery was made at that time.
No arrests have been made.
