Mysuru, Aug 21, Nearly two weeks after?Saligrama police in Mysuru district arrested a 10-member gang of antique peddlers and recovered a 400-year-old Qur’an written on gold coated pages from them, it has emerged that the scripture could be the same copy of Qur’an that was stolen from a museum in Jammu and?Kashmir 12 years ago.

On the other hand, officials of the Department of Heritage and Archeology from the valley have contacted the police here.
Upon their request, photos and video of the scripture have been dispatched to them and the response is awaited. Besides, a historian from New Delhi also came down to Mysuru to vet into the prized possession.
When the Qur’an was found missing from Prathap Singh?Museum in Srinagar in 2003, it had stirred a hornet’s nest, as it was one of the rarest scriptures.
No sooner the news over the possibilities of theft spread, the locals had taken to streets and had forced the government to order for a CBI?probe.
However, the Qur’an remains to be traced and it is only with the recent case in Mysuru, the investigators have been verifying into the similarities if any.
Former vice-chancellor of Mangalore and Goa universities B?Sheik Ali, who helped the police in establishing the significance of the Qur’an after its seizure, said it could be the calligraphy of Aurangzeb, the crown prince during the period of rule of Shahjahan during 1640 AD.
Meanwhile, a team of investigators from Mysuru, who had left for Hyderabad, following an information given by the accused in the case, have returned empty-handed.
The accused, during interrogation, had revealed that it was sourced from Hyderabad.
With different opinions emerging from various quarters, the police authorities have decided to write to the Department of Archaeology, Heritage and Museum. During the preliminary investigation, it had emerged that the religious scripture may belong to the period of Akbar.
However, historians have a different version, adducing at the period of rule of Aurangzeb and?Shahjahan.
Also Read: 400-year-old Qur'an seized from gang of peddlers; 3 from Udupi among 10 held
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