Overview

• CISF personnel conducting an exit screening at the National Museum found an unbilled fourth replica in the professor’s bag, recovered the item, and alerted Delhi Police.
• Police registered an FIR and detained the visitor for questioning before granting bail, with instructions to join the investigation when called.
• The case has been filed under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita sections 305(e) and 317(2), according to police accounts reported by Times Now and The Statesman.
• Coverage differs on the artefact’s identity, with News18 reporting a Nataraj replica and other outlets citing a Mohenjo-Daro Dancing Girl replica.
• The accused says the extra piece entered his bag by mistake after he paid for three replicas, and Ashoka University says it will conduct an internal inquiry.