Budgam theft case solved, 1 arrested

Srinagar, January 14

The Kashmir Police claim to have solved the burglary case of a large number of samovars in Budgam district with the arrest of the alleged accused.

On January 12, Magam station of Jammu and Kashmir Police received a written complaint from several shopkeepers at Magam Market, reporting that their shops had been broken into during the night of January 11 and 12, resulting in the theft of goods valued at lakhs, with most of them being samovars. They also said thieves also stole a Sumo vehicle, which was used to take away stolen copper vessels. The police said a case was registered and an investigation was taken up.

During the investigation, some suspects were rounded up leading to the arrest of the accused, later identified as Himayat Hussain Mir, a resident of Yagipora Magam in Budgam.

During the analysis of CCTV footage, it was observed that the vehicle was taken towards the Pattan-Sopore area in North Kashmir. The teams were sent to various locations and the vehicle was traced near Hygam Sopore, around 55 km north of Srinagar. The police said stolen goods, mostly copper samovars, were recovered from the Sumo vehicle.

The investigation into the case is going on, and some more arrests and recoveries are expected.

Samovars, traditional Kashmiri kettles known for brewing and serving Kehwa and salted tea (noon-chai), are crafted from copper and often feature embossed calligraphic motifs. The introduction of samovars to Kashmir is attributed to cultural exchanges and trade connections between Central Asian traders and the local Kashmiri community.