Artist Mansoor Rahi’s son accused of stealing his paintings worth Rs1bn

The wife of famous Pakistani artist Mansoor Ahmed Rahi has lodged an FIR against her son, accusing him of stealing her husband’s paintings worth over Rs1 billion, which allegedly claimed his life, police said on Friday.

The theft was brought to the notice of the police by the wife of Rahi on Thursday, almost eight months after the incident occurred. Shalimar police registered a case under Section 380 of the PPC against the artist’s son and his friends.

According to the FIR, the couple’s son and six friends visited their house in Sector F-11 in January. Later, it added that the son took his parents for dinner at a restaurant while his friends remained in the house.

Upon their return, the son took his parents to a room upstairs. However, Mrs Rahi, while being moved upstairs, heard some noises coming from the basement, the FIR said. When she inquired about the noises, her son told his mother it was nothing.

She went to the basement to inquire about the matter as Rahi got worried and found 70 to 80 paintings of her husband removed from frames and kept in seven to eight rolls, the FIR said. Later, her son and his friends took the paintings away in a vehicle in front of her.

Rahi was deeply shocked and fell ill after learning about his son’s act, as the paintings were worth approximately Rs1 billion, it said. The couple made several attempts to get the paintings back but to no avail.

Rahi died on May 12, and Mrs Rahi was also deeply shocked over the death of her husband, it read. Now she wants to initiate legal proceedings against her son as he had stolen the paintings.

She requested the police to initiate legal proceedings against her son and recover the paintings of her late husband from him.

Originally published in Dawn, September 21, 2024