Police have recovered 295 stolen medals belonging to former swimmer and Padma Shri awardee Bula Chowdhury, within 48 hours after a theft was reported at her residence in Hind Motor area in Hooghly district.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Serampore) said on Sunday that while 295 stolen medals have been recovered, search is on for the rest.

Chowdhury expressed her gratitude to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and the police for their quick action. But added that not all the medals and souvenirs have been recovered.

Initially, Chowdhury claimed that her Padma Shri medal was among the stolen items, but she later clarified that the original medal is safe at her Kolkata home.

She also mentioned that the stolen items included a small souvenir given to her along with the Padma Shri award, which she has not found yet.

“Basically, two citations are given as Padma Shri award. The relatively larger citation is a badge which the President puts on the chest of the awardee. It is kept in my house in Kolkata. I was also given a small souvenir, which I have the right to wear at any government place if I want. I have not found it yet. I will have to look for it again at the Hind Motor house. I will have to look for it again at Hindmotor’s house,” Chowdhury said.

Chowdhury, on Friday said that medals and mementoes, including her Padma Shri brooch and six gold medals from the South Asian Federation (SAF) Games, were stolen.

She had alleged that it was the third theft at her Hind Motor residence, which remains under lock and key, and she visits the property periodically.

The West Bengal CID on Saturday had launched an investigation into the theft at the ancestral residence and a CID team visited her residence where they collected CCTV footage and fingerprint samples from various objects at the scene.

The police detained several suspects for questioning, and after getting detailed information from one of them, they were able to track down and arrest the thief, sources said.