Police find remnants of Bismillah Khan’s four musical instruments that had been melted

In the end, Ustad Bismillah Khan’s prized shehnais were reduced to a lump of silver and wood residue, after his grandson who allegedly stole them, sold the instruments to a couple of goldsmiths for a small sum.

A special task force of the Uttar Pradesh police on Tuesday arrested Nazre Hasan alias Shadab, the late Bharat Ratna awardee’s grandson for the theft.

Police also arrested two goldsmiths — Shankar Seth and Sujit Seth — to whom Shadab sold the instruments for Rs. 17,000.

Four shehnais, including one that the Ustad played on special occasions, along with a kilo of melted silver were recovered, police said.

The four shehnais included three made of silver gifted to Bismillah Khan by former Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao, Congress leader Kapil Sibal and former Bihar Chief Minister Lalu Prasad. The fourth silver-and-wood instrument was his prized possession and the musician would play it on Muharram every year.

The jewellers had melted down the silver in the three shehnais leaving only wooden frames. Police said the silver-and-wood shehnai was recovered with its metal layer stripped.

The theft took place last month in the house of Bismillah Khan’s son Kazim Hussain — Shadab’s father — in Varanasi. Additional SP, STF, S. Anand, whose team cracked the case, said the motive for the act was money.

“[Shadab] is unemployed and had shown such a tendency,” the Additional SP said.

While the family had reported that five shehnais and other memorabilia were stolen, Mr. Anand said the accused confessed to stealing only four. “ Prima facie and after visiting the scene of crime, we concluded that it was done by an insider. We kept a close watch on the family members. The grandson was the prime suspect. We interrogated him and he confessed,” Mr. Anand told The Hindu .

Demand for museum

Bismillah Khan’s family has been demanding a museum to preserve the maestro’s instruments, awards and other memorabilia.

Kazim Hussain was not available for comment when contacted over phone.

On November 30, 2015 the family visited their ancestral house to attend a religious ceremony, but found the lock broken and items missing when they returned home. An FIR was then registered by Kazim Hussain, who is today the caretaker of Bismillah Khan’s articles.