How surveying dirt paths helped police crack the theft of artefact stolen from dome of 15th-century monument in Ahmedabad

Indian Express

17-07-2025

On July 1, a caretaker of Sarkhej Roza, a 15th-century tomb and mosque complex in Makarba area of Ahmedabad, noticed that an artefact on the dome of a mausoleum of Sheikh Ahmad Khattu Ganj Bakhsh Sahib was missing.
Built around 1445 AD, the mausoleum of Sheikh Sahib, who was the spiritual guide of Ahmedabad's founder Sultan Ahmad Shah, is a Class-I National Protected Monument and was instrumental in helping the city get the title of World Heritage City by UNESCO in 2017.
Given the significance, police made multiple teams to track the thieves. And after two weeks of efforts, four of the accused were nabbed in Kadi, Mehsana – over 75 kms away in Mehsana.
The artefact, a gold-coloured finial, though, was found in a shattered state.
Police said the accused had stolen the artefact as they thought it was made of gold. On discovering that it was made of copper and brass, they were planning to sell it in scrap, the Detection of Crime Branch (DCB) of Ahmedabad City Police, which made the arrest, said on Thursday.
Police said the stolen item is a 150-year-old religious 'Panjtan Pak' Kalash (urn made of five metals – Panch dhatu). Panjtan Pak refers to the Five Holy Members of Prophet Muhammad's family, said an official of the Crime Branch.
According to a statement by the Crime Branch, 'Stealing such a sacred and historic symbol is not merely a criminal offence but a serious cultural attack. The Ahmedabad Crime Branch, responding with sensitivity and efficiency, successfully solved the case and recovered the artefact of historical and religious significance.'
To nab the accused, police teams began with examining several CCTV cameras and using drones to conduct an extensive aerial survey of nearby lakes and isolated areas.
Police Inspector Mahendra Salhunke said, 'Since there is only one road leading in and out of the Sarkhej Roza complex, which is surrounded by empty land, we first carried out an aerial survey of the entire area with our drones to locate 'pagdandi' (dirt paths created by constant human movement). After locating all the possible paths through which the thieves may have exited the complex, we conducted a check of CCTV camera footage in a 1.5 to 2 km radius, which gave us an idea of their identity.'
Another clinching evidence for the police was the ping from mobile phones of the accused, which were found at the site during the time of the robbery. 'Then, through local intelligence, the Crime Branch learnt that the thieves were in Kadi, Mehsana,' said police.
The arrested accused have been identified as Suresh Dharmshi Dantani (40), Gopal Dharmshi Dantani (30), Munna Jayanti Dantani (23), and Vishnu Chuna Dantani (22), all from Patan district.
Police said efforts are on to locate four other accused.
On the stolen artefact, Inspector Salhunke said, 'The thieves believed that the kalash was made of gold. However, this was not the case. They shattered the kalash and on discovering that it contained no precious metal, they decided to sell it in scrap. We apprehended them before this could happen.'