Thieves broke into the house of child rights activist Kailash Satyarthi here and took away his Nobel Peace Prize citation and replica of the medal.
According to police, the burglars broke into Satyarthi's house located in DDA Flats colony, Kalkaji, late on Monday night and took away the Nobel memorabilia along with other valuables.
Satyarthi and his wife are outside the country in connection with the 16th World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates held on February 1 in Colombia.
"The burglars entered the house breaking a window and a ventilator. The verification of the objects stolen is on. Among the things stolen is his Nobel prize citation and replica of the Nobel Medal," Deputy Commissioner of Police Romil Baniya told IANS on Tuesday.
The police are also examining CCTV footage from Satyarthi's apartment as well as of the neighbours.
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The original medal is displayed at the Rashtrapati Bhavan after Satyarthi in 2015 dedicated his Peace Prize to the nation presenting it to President Pranab Mukherjee.
The theft came to notice on Tuesday morning after which his son, Bhuvan Ribhu, filed a police complaint.
According to the family, besides the Nobel citation and replica of the medal, gifts and awards received from various international organisations and heads of states, ancestral jewellery and electronics items were also stolen.
Satyarthi expressed shock over the incident and appealed to the "conscience" of those involved in the theft.
"I appeal to the conscience of the people involved to understand its significance and not get distracted by its monetary value. A police probe has been initiated and I have complete faith in the authorities and the legal bodies of our country," said Satyarthi in a statement.
Satyarthi was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014 along with Pakistani education activist Malala Yousafzai.
He is the founder of Bachpan Bachao Andolan (BBA), which is dedicated to battling child labour and rehabilitating rescued former child workers.
This is the second instance of theft of a Nobel memorabilia in India.
The Nobel medallion of Rabindranath Tagore along with 47 other memorabilia were stolen from Rabindra Bhawan at Santiniketan in West Bengal.
The theft came to light on March 25, 2004.
The investigation was handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation but the case has remained unsolved.
--IANS
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