Thieves enter Jallianwala Bagh Martyr’s Well, steal Rs 3,000

Amritsar, June 21

In a shocking incident, thieves stole nearly Rs 3,000 from the Jallianwala Bagh Martyrs’ Well, where hundreds jumped to escape firing by British troops in 1919.

The thieves used a rope to climb down into the 15-ft-deep well. They entered it by breaking the grill-mesh of its window, Amritsar Police Commissioner SS Srivastava said.

“One person has been detained. It is suspected that two petty thieves were involved. They stole about Rs 3,000, mainly in coins, from inside the well,” he said.

Srivastava said the site had no CCTV camera surveillance and a watchman had been hired by authorities for security.

People visiting the site put coins and notes through the mesh as obeisance to those killed in the firing ordered by British Col Reginald Dyer on April 13, 1919.

The watchman told police that he did not notice any movement on Tuesday night and spotted the rope used by the thieves on Wednesday morning, the officer said.

The Martyr’s Well has been dry for years. PTI