Cops scan 1,500 CCTVs to recover stolen horse Duldul | Lucknow News

Lucknow: In a five-day operation that unfolded like a real-life crime thriller, Lucknow Police scanned footage from 1,500 CCTV cameras across the city to trace the stolen Iranian-bred religious horse Zuljana (popularly known as Duldul), an animal revered by the Shia community.The horse, stolen from Talkatora Karbala in Lucknow, was recovered from Maurawan village in Unnao on Monday. A former caretaker of the Karbala stables, Chhotu Verma, 25, was arrested. His brother-in-law, Firoz alias Bhaiyya, who allegedly helped in the theft, is absconding.DCP, West Zone, Vishwajeet Srivastava, said, “CCTV footage showed a man quietly leading the horse away while walking close behind it to avoid being identified. It seemed the horse was led into a waiting vehicle. Scanning of CCTV footage from surrounding localities and scrutiny of mobile numbers active at the time of the crime led us to Chhotu.”DCP said a dedicated team was formed which scanned 1,500 CCTVs and went to Unnao where they found a white horse. “The team enquired about its owner and were told by locals that it had been brought by Chhotu Verma,” said the DCP. A team reached Chhotu’s home in Lucknow’s Para and picked him up for questioning, while another team tracked the buyer of the horse in Unnao.“During interrogation, Chhotu confessed that he had stolen the horse and sold it to a horse trader in Unnao for Rs 1.5 lakh. Acting on his disclosure, police teams reached Maurawan in the early hours of Monday and recovered Duldul,” said the DCP.Duldul’s owner Syed Faizi, former Karbala mutawalli, had announced a Rs 50,000 reward for information leading to the horse’s recovery. This reward will now be given to the police team. Special prayers were offered at Karbala for Duldul’s safe return.Duldul’s caretaker Gama said the horse was raised “like a child”, adding, “seeing it again feels like life has returned.”After completing legal formalities, police handed the horse back to Syed Faizi.