A joint team of Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh police on Thursday launched a search operation in Karauli district to trace a 400-year-old cannon that was stolen from the historic Narwar Fort in Madhya Pradesh earlier this month. More than 60 personnel are combing the area amid suspicions that the Scindia-era cannon was brought to Rajasthan and buried there.
Police teams from Narwar in Madhya Pradesh and Karauli in Rajasthan have been camping in Jaunra Meena village since Wednesday afternoon. The operation involves personnel from multiple police stations, led by Sadar Hindon SHO Chirag Jatav. Investigators are searching sites where recent excavations were reported to have taken place, suspecting that the cannon may have been buried there.
Based on intelligence information, police believe that the stolen cannon could be hidden somewhere in the Gaunra Mina area. Excavations are underway at several suspected sites using JCB machines, while more than 50 police personnel have been deployed across the village. The area has effectively turned into a police camp as the search continues.
A Madhya Pradesh Police team reached the area while tracking the stolen gun and conducted searches in the forests surrounding Jaunra Meena, said Monish Meena, deputy inspector of Karauli police. In the same vein, the Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh police launched a joint search operation.
A metal detection team was also brought in from Bharatpur to scan the area with electronic equipment in an attempt to locate the cannon if it was buried underground.
The presence of police teams from two states has drawn great interest among local residents, with the operation continuing for the second day.
The investigation stems from the theft of a rare Scindia-era cannon from the historic Narwar Fort in Madhya Pradesh’s Shivpuri district on the night of July 15. According to police, about 30 armed and masked men entered the fort through a difficult approach route using a load vehicle. They allegedly held unarmed security personnel at gunpoint before escaping with the 16th century cannon.
The theft led to a major investigation in which the Antiquities Department and the police participated. Since the case was registered, multiple teams have followed leads, with the latest search focusing on suspected hideouts in Rajasthan. The police have not yet been able to find the cannon, and the search is still ongoing.
