INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
When apprehended by police, Uday Ratra tried to escape from the backdoor with the replicaNew Delhi: When an extremely precious replica of
the ancient Olduvai Handaxe went missing from the National Museum in New Delhi, little did authorities imagine it would be found at the home
of a millionaire in neighbouring Gurgaon.The replica had been stolen on June 24
Unable to locate it themselves, museum authorities approached the police on Friday, who started sifting through CCTV footage at the
museum.In the footage, 53-year-old Uday Ratra, the millionaire, can be seen leaving the museum with the replica, police said.Uday Ratra was
arrested from his home late Friday night, but not without drama
IPS officer Madhur Verma tweeted the CCTV footage:The police in a statement say when they approached Uday Ratra's house, he refused to let
them in and asked them to return in the morning
About eight or ten dogs present in the house kept barking at the police team.The cops hid around the house, and soon Uday Ratra tried to
quietly escape from the backdoor with the replica of the Olduvai Handaxe, said to be the first great invention of mankind about 1.5 million
years ago.He was immediately apprehended by the police, but refused to go down without a fight
He tried to instruct his dogs to attack the police team, but was taken away swiftly by the cops, said a press statement issued by Deputy
Commissioner Madhur Verma.This is not Uday Ratra's first encounter with trouble
In 2006, he was deported to India from the UK, where he spent close to 20 years.10 years later, in 2016, he was arrested for allegedly
trying to enter a five-star hotel in Sarojini Nagar with a blade while the then US secretary of state John Kerry was staying there.He was
also arrested for stealing imported liquor from a store the same year, police said.His father has earlier served the Coast Guard as an
An officer said that it is suspected that Uday Ratra is a kleptomaniac.With inputs from PTI
