400-year-old cannon stolen from Narwar Fort in MP

Shivpuri (MP), Jul 17 (PTI) A nearly 400-year-old cannon has been allegedly stolen from the historic Narwar Fort in the Shivpuri district of Madhya Pradesh, a police official said on Friday. The alleged theft was committed between Wednesday and Thursday night. Preliminary investigations suggest that some individuals reached the rear of the fort in a vehicle and fled with the piece of artillery kept there. Karera Sub-Divisional Officer of Police Prashant Sharma said that police inspected the spot after being alerted and launched an investigation. He said all possible angles are being looked into, including the involvement of an interstate or international smuggling ring. According to initial information, the cannon had fallen from its designated place a few days ago, but it was not placed back in safe custody. Now, the same cannon has been stolen, said officials. Deputy Director of the State Archaeology Department, Tarun Kumar Srivastava, called the matter “extremely serious”. The official said he would visit Narwar Fort to review the security arrangements at the historical site. Officials said the fort, said to have been rebuilt by the Kachhwaha Rajputs in the 10th century, originally housed 14 historical cannons, of which 13 remain. They said police are analysing CCTV footage from the surrounding areas, possible routes, and other technical evidence. PTI COR MAS NR