Raza’s painting 'Prakriti' worth Rs 2.5 cr stolen from warehouse in Mumbai

Mumbai: A painting by noted artist Sayed Haider Raza, valued at more than Rs 2.5 crore, has allegedly been stolen from a warehouse in south Mumbai, police said on Wednesday.

The painting, named Prakriti (Nature), made by the celebrated painter in 1992, was stolen from the AstaGuru Auction House Private Limited's warehouse, said an official from MRA Marg police station.

The police registered an FIR in this connection on Monday against unidentified persons.

Raza, who lived and worked in France for most of his career, died in 2016 at 94.

His acrylic artwork was kept in the warehouse at Ballard Pier in south Mumbai during the coronavirus pandemic, the official said.

The painting was last seen in March 2022, the official said.

After the painting was not found in the warehouse, the auction house's Chief Administrative Officer, Siddhant Shetty, approached the MRA Marg police with a complaint, he said.

“We have formed a team to recover the painting,” the official said. “We are trying to identify the culprit through CCTV footage,” he added.

According to the complaint, the painting was given to the auction house by its owner Indra Veer for auctioning it in 2020.

It was last seen in March 2022, the official said.

The painting's owner this year asked the facility authorities to keep it for auction, but it was not found in the warehouse after a search from among nearly 1,500 artworks, he said.

After realising the painting was missing, Shetty lodged the police complaint, the official said.

The police have registered the case against unidentified persons under Indian Penal Code section 380 (theft), he said.