Man arrested for stealing relics from Nizamuddin Dargah

“We have recovered some of the lost items from the house of the accused, Mohammed Salim, who used to work as a sweeper at the dargah. He was regularly selling these to a local kabariwalla (junk-dealers),” said a police officer.

Members of the Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah Committee, however, complained that the police was doing little about nabbing the junk-dealer who had been working hand-in-glove with Salim.

“Salim was a smack addict, but the junk-dealer who bought the items was no less a culprit. The dargah is full of heritage antiques. Given the rush of pilgrims and tourists, it is not always possible to keep a watch over every single thing,” Syeed Azeez Nizami, general secretary of the committee, said.

The committee also alleged that the items were burgled under the nose of the police, who are stationed within half-a-km of the dargah. Nizami had lodged an FIR on May 20 on behalf of the dargah committee.

Meanwhile, Dr Abrar Ahmed, former Union minister and member of the BJP, who is also associated with the dargah, has shot off letters to the Prime Minister and Union Home Minister demanding more security for the dargah and immediate restoration of the stolen items. “This is a matter of great concern for the community as well as the devotees and is of a very sensitive and serious nature,” Ahmed said.

“We are helpless onlookers. In violation of the apex court notice, encroachers are thriving with police protection and putting the safety of the shrine at stake,” Nizami added.